


So We Meet Again

by Anonymous0



Category: Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Bullying, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, highschool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 08:31:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 78,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13477638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous0/pseuds/Anonymous0
Summary: It had been many years since Rebecca had shaken the mantle of Becca Knox cheerleader, prom queen, bitch in order to reform her image as Rebecca Knox independent, hard worker, loyal. Years later she found herself in an interview with Emily Frazier, the girl that she bullied through highschool.As soon as Emily was dropped back into the middle of Rebecca's life, it felt like all of that progress could be thrown out the window.





	1. Gives you hell

Life was not going how Rebecca Knox expected it would at all.  
If someone were to ask her where she would be seven years after high school, she would have had a very different opinion than the reality that had unfolded around her. For one, she would have some semblance of an actual plan instead of floundering around just to survive -- which was the very situation she unfortunately found herself in at the age of twenty-five. The brunette huffed and pulled her jacket around her tighter to battle the cold of the late autumn wind as she made her way to yet another interview that she wasn't completely sure of.  
Rebecca knew that the popularity and admiration that had kept her afloat during her teenage years wouldn't exactly transfer over to her adult life, but she would be lying if she didn't think it would have some effect on how things would turn out. She had spent so much time cultivating her reputation back then, only to find out that it didn't mean much to anyone after graduation. Unless of course you count the five-year reunion of her graduating class where she felt like she was riding on top again -- even if that had only been for a few hours.  
There was a flash of self-pity that she felt for not paying attention more during her classes -- or even caring about them past the necessary GPA she had to keep in order to stay on the cheerleading squad. If only she had retained some of that knowledge or had the slightest drive to keep up with her education past high school, she might not be in this mess. As it was though, Rebecca had no trade skills to speak of and no ambition to go to college then or now.  
She may have been inclined to continue school if only to follow her love of cheerleading, perhaps she could have even turned that passion into something more prestigious like gymnastics or dance, but a bad break in her left leg kept that dream from reaching any fruition whatsoever. Rebecca cursed the reckless nature of her youth and another bout of self-pity hit thinking about her eighteenth summer and the itchy cast she had to wear for months after the break. Not like it did much good in the end. Even after physical therapy, she still felt a phantom twinge right below her left knee more often then she would like to admit. So cheerleading went right out the window with all of her dreams.  
Rebecca breathed out another huff of air against the cold wind. This time it was more depressed than indignant, as she accepted that life had happened in way that couldn't be changed. The only option was to keep moving forward and do the best she possibly could against the insurmountable odds that seemed to keep getting higher.  
The tall brunette stopped in front of the doors to the Zendex Media building and steeled herself before heading inside. There was a chance that this interview wouldn't work out any better than the last few that she had, but she was running out of options for jobs that didn't require a college degree and weren't rooted in the fast food industry. With a flip of her long, dark hair over one shoulder, Rebecca walked through those glass double doors with purpose. There had been nothing off limits to Becca Knox, cheerleading captain, prom queen and absolute overlord of Branson High -- all Rebecca needed to do was channel that energy into a more positive manner without letting her inner bitch out to play and this job was as good as hers.  
Admittedly, Rebecca did feel a little better about this interview than the last ones she had. It was for a personal assistant position to one of the higher up executives here at Zendex Media -- an up and coming advertising company. The job was nothing more than a glorified secretary in Rebecca's opinion, but she knew the skill set wasn't extensive and everything they asked for she had in spades. The brunette had passed her phone interview with flying colors, assuring the company's representative that she had everything that they were looking for.  
Excellent time management and organizational skills -- from years of putting together infallible pranks and evil schemes. Natural drive and leadership -- from bossing around her squad during hours of backbreaking practice. An aptitude for taking direction -- mostly from the societal pressures she had faced from a young age. Even the ability to type over a hundred words a minute -- because slinging hurtful comments around online had to be done in a quick and timely manner to fit into her tight schedule. Of course, her interviewer didn't need to know the root of her particular skill set, just that she had what the potential employer was looking for. In the end, it was enough to snag an in-person interview with said employer.  
This little detail was a bit odd to Rebecca if she was being honest. Generally, the hiring manager dealt with prospective employees once they had passed the phone interview stage. Although, with the position in question it did make sense. It was a personal assistant job after all, and a hiring manager wouldn't be able to dissect the chemistry needed for said job. Rebecca frowned, realizing how much thought she had already put into this and wished that she wouldn't get her hopes set too high.  
After checking in with the front desk, Rebecca made her way up to the fourth floor where her interview would take place. She thought again how peculiar this was in comparison to some of her past job experiences, but brushed it off just as quick. If anything, different was good. The same old same had brought her nothing but repeated disappointment. This could be a chance to start with a clean slate.  
The room she was told to wait in was particularly bland. Consisting of a few chairs positioned around a white walled room, with the dullest landscape paintings Rebecca had ever seen. On the back wall was a desk with a younger woman sitting behind it, looking just as bored as the room was boring. It felt more like a hospital waiting room then the common room of a business.  
After looking around, Rebecca saw that multiple doors and hallways branched off from this room and for a few moments, she wondered if they led to offices or cubicles or something. She had no experience with this kind of place so her guess was as good as anyone else's. Rebecca reminded herself that it wasn't important and focused back in on the prize instead of the random wondering her nervous brain wanted to consider.  
After what felt like an eternity, a voice finally buzzed through to the desk across from where Rebecca was seated.  
Send in my ten thirty please, Amanda.  
The girl at the desk, Amanda, gave the disembodied voice a quick reply in the affirmative before setting Rebecca with a wide (fake) smile. "Ms. Frazier will see you now," she told Rebecca with a put on voice that sounded too polite.  
A 'customer' voice, Rebecca's friend Evie had always called it. The one that said the customer and consumer were always right. Also known as the 'I don't want to get fired so I'll pretend to be nice even if I'm fantasizing about stabbing you in the eye with a pen' voice.  
Rebecca nodded back with the same forced kindness and thanked the girl before heading back to the door that Amanda pointed out as Ms. Frazier's. Just like when she had first showed up to the building, Rebecca gave herself a moment to breathe and build up her confidence before knocking quickly on the door. It didn't take long for a muted "Come in," to ring out from the other side. With one last deep breath, she turned the knob and entered the office.  
Nothing could have prepared Rebecca for who she saw sitting behind that desk however.  
It had been years since the last time she saw her. She instantly noticed that the face had definitely matured more in that time. The frown lines at the corner of her mouth were a bit more defined but not so much to detract from her pretty face -- and Rebecca had to grudgingly admit that her face was pretty. Her blonde hair had been cut shorter than Rebecca remembered also; it rested just at her jaw line and was playfully tousled to look a little wild against her cool exterior. In addition, the thick glasses were long gone, probably replaced by contacts now. The years had been mostly kind to the woman in the smart business suit who was still perusing through some papers on her desk and a twinge of jealousy ran through Rebecca just looking at her.  
This had to be a dream. Or a very cruel joke. There was no way that Rebecca was actually about to be interviewed by her high school punching bag. There was no way that she was looking at --  
"Emily fucking Frazier," Rebecca mumbled under her breath.  
***  
Emily was proud of how far she had come in her life.  
It didn't mean that she was particularly overjoyed of her life, but she didn't hate it by any means. She knew that she worked a little more than she should and maybe she took things a bit too seriously and sure, it had been awhile since she had made a social call or even a date -- but she was content. Emily knew that nothing ventured meant nothing gained and the only venture she truly cared about in this part of her life was establishing her presence in this cutthroat business so she could remain a permanent fixture at Zendex Media.  
So far, she had to admit that she was doing pretty well for herself. In the few short years since Emily had received her college diploma she had been able to rise steadily through the ranks at Zendex. It was a pretty cushy job, all things considered and with the hard work and dedication she had put into the company, they had rewarded her quite nicely in return. A corner office, good hours, and even a personal assistant in the form of Amanda.  
However, Emily was in a place where she had to find someone new since Amanda was leaving the company in the next few weeks. There was no joy in the thought of searching for her replacement -- and it definitely wasn't going to be easy. Amanda wasn't the best assistant by any means, but she was quick and attentive and those traits were good enough to look past any other flaws she might have had.  
The petite blonde always got the coffee that Emily liked and never waited to tell her anything until last minute. They had a good working connection and as such it would be a shame to watch her go. Of course, Emily would also miss literallywatching her go since Amanda had made for some nice scenery in the office space. With the luck that Emily had, Amanda's replacement would be fifty-year-old man with failed hearing and a pronounced bald spot.  
It wasn't a very nice thing to think, but Emily wasn't necessarily a nice person.  
Therefore, the last forty-eight hours had been spent making sure that she wasn't stuck with that terrifying prospect. She had some good candidates if her underling that had conducted the phone interviews were to be trusted at all, but she wouldn't know for sure without talking to any of them herself. Emily hadn't actually found anything out about these prospective employees; she simply booked them each a time slot and decided she would see where it went from there. This was a bit unorthodox but Emily had never considered herself conventional by any means -- her success was proof of that.  
This lack of prior screening put her in the awkward position she was in now, however, and it had Emily second-guessing her tactics right away.  
She heard the door open and close and knew that there was someone standing just a few feet from her desk, just waiting for something to happen. It was typical for Emily to let people squirm for a bit, just to see how they would handle pressure, but in this instance she was actually trying to finish reading through the document in front of her face before proceeding with the interview -- no ulterior motives at all. If she had just a few more moments, Emily would have had the opportunity to do just that, but it was then that she heard the mumbled words from the figure in front of her.  
"Emily fucking Frazier."  
Emily's gaze traveled up from the desk so slowly at the sound of that voice that her short blonde locks hung in her eyes and obscured her vision until her neck straightened out to look at this person head on. It was as if she had gone back in time suddenly, and all of her insecurities came crashing down around her like a tidal wave. The dark wavy mane paired with equally dark, cold brown eyes looking down on her as if she were seventeen again. It was impossible to believe but she was staring right into the gaze of her high school nemesis.  
"Becca Knox," Emily mused with a humorless tone to her voice.  
Rebecca shuffled awkwardly. "Actually, I go by Rebecca now."  
"Do you?" Emily asked without much concern about her personal preference before looking back to the papers on her desk.  
The blonde had an urge to tell the tall brunette to turn around and get the fuck out of her office, but she stopped herself. This was a golden opportunity just waiting to be had. Here was the biggest threat in Branson High, applying to be her personal secretary -- essentially Emily's personal bitch. She could finally dish out a little bit of the hell that Rebecca had subjected her to so many times. If the brunette could feel even an iota of the pain Emily had felt in high school it would be a win.  
"Sit down Becca," Emily said, taking on a much more professional feel, while somehow retaining the same hard bite.  
Rebecca furrowed her brows at Emily's blatant disregard for her preferred name but wrote it off and sat down as she had been instructed. She understood instantly how much joy Emily was taking from this situation and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to be mad about it. It was the truest form of karmic justice and Rebecca admitted that perhaps she even deserved it.  
"So tell me, why do you think you're the most suitable candidate for the position here at Zendex?"  
Every scripted answer that Rebecca had was lost as she scanned Emily's face. She was having a hard time thinking of anything besides just fucking off this interview and trying somewhere else. Perhaps flipping burgers wouldn't even be so bad in comparison.  
Of course, that was not the Becca Knox way -- she would pull through this one way or another. Getting the job wasn't as imperative as saving face in this moment. Rebecca couldn't let Emily see how much she was struggling right now. Deserved karmic justice or not, her image was still the most important thing to maintain.  
"Well, I believe I'm more than qualified in all the areas that you require in a personal assistant. I'm attentive, organized and driven. I'm quick to learn and excellent at multitasking." Rebecca fired off the skills that seemed to please her original interviewer in hopes of impressing Emily but the stoic face staring back at her never changed a bit from its stony expression.  
In fact, Emily was considering how each skill came to be just as Rebecca had earlier.  
She knew Rebecca was great at multitasking -- for example by throwing each of Emily's books in the school fountain while simultaneously rattling off a list of unpleasant nicknames to the laughter of her brain dead friends. Of course, Rebecca was quick to learn -- quick to learn every little thing that would get under Emily's skin until she cried and ran away from her tormenter. Oh yes, Rebecca was driven -- driven enough to make Emily's life a living hell every day of the four years they had spent together in that prison called Branson High.  
"Yes, I'm very aware of your particular set of skills," Emily said coldly.  
A prickle of fear ran up Rebecca's back before settling into her brain and making her wonder when this woman had become the terrifying presence she was now. It occurred to Rebecca that maybe it was even her that created this monster seated across from her. Was it possible that the constant bullying she had subjected Emily to had made such a person?  
"Is that, um, a good thing? I was under the impression that these were the attributes you were after for this position." Rebecca stuttered over her words, feeling for the first time like she was the one under the relentless scrutiny she had delivered to so many others in the past.  
Emily pursed her lips at the question. It was indeed what she was looking for in an applicant for her assistant. However, it wasn't the manner of skills Rebecca spoke of, but the way she had acquired them that bothered Emily. Still, there was a level of professionalism that Emily was required to have despite her personal opinions. She had to be fair -- even if it was very, very hard to do right now.  
"Yes, of course these are good traits to have. I never said anything to make you think otherwise did I?" Emily retorted.  
Rebecca quirked a brow and stared Emily down in confusion. She hadn't said anything, no, but the tone she had taken sure had suggested something didn't it?Rebecca was not enjoying this game of cat and mouse she had found herself in today one bit. She was not used to playing the mouse and she was not used to losing.  
"No ma'am, you did not," Rebecca muttered, and averted her gaze from Emily. Those green eyes staring back at her were starting to burn in their piercing scrutiny at this point.  
"Ma'am now, huh? I thought I was Emily fucking Frazier, or did I hear wrong when you came in?" Emily couldn't help the sarcasm as it rolled of her lips. This game was just beginning to heat up and oh, how fun it was becoming.  
Rebecca cleared her throat and met Emily's face once more, feeling nauseous from the smirk so full of mirth that her old victim wore. "In my most humble opinion, that's not the way that one should address their prospective employer."  
Emily leaned across the desk, her smile growing even wider which only added to the discomfort that Rebecca felt. "That doesn't answer the question, now does it?"  
"No. It doesn't." Rebecca sighed.  
"So then answer my question Becca."  
"Yes, I did call you Emily," she swallowed thickly, "fucking Frazier. However, if I may apologize and take it back, I would like to do so now. Perhaps we can start with a clean slate for the remainder of this interview. That is, if you would be so kind...Ms. Frazier."  
Emily looked like the cat that just ate the canary. She knew she had Rebecca right where she wanted her and with any luck, she would have her there for quite some time. At least until she had her begging for mercy or resigning from ever working with Zendex Media ever again. Still, no point in quitting the game just because you were ahead. Might as well drive the point home while you have the lead -- Rebecca was into sports, so she should know that rule very well.  
"Becca, you and I will never have a clean slate," Emily said with a shake of her head. "I will grant you the opportunity to change my mind about you though. I'm sure there is at least some semblance of a decent human being lurking underneath the shell of that cruel, manipulative bitch I've always known you to be. Please, prove it to me."  
Rebecca was so caught off guard by the blatant attack on her character that she struggled to find words for a few moments. She was correct in assuming that this wasn't like any other interview she'd ever had, and hopefully, she would never have another interview like it in her life. The same old same had never looked so appealing in her life as it did right now.

Finally, Rebecca found her grounding again and asked simply, "How am I supposed to do that?"  
"That's entirely up to you. However, you better not disappoint me or make me regret my decision." That devilish smile was on Emily's face once more as she leaned back in her chair. "I'll see you next Monday."  
Rebecca didn't move from the spot she was rooted in. She blinked a few times, searching Emily's face for some kind of trick to happen. After a few moments of the women staring back and forth at each other with no movement on either end, Rebecca finally took the initiative.  
"So...you're hiring me?"  
Emily looked away from Rebecca's awestruck face to observe her nails casually. She had to in order to maintain a straight face when she responded. The look of shock on Rebecca's face was just too funny to keep staring at.  
"Generally when one expects to see you on Monday morning in a place of work, it means that you too will be working."  
For the second time that day, the sarcasm slid off Rebecca's back. This time in favor of gratitude for a successful interview for once -- if this could be called a success that is. She still had no idea what she was getting herself into working for Emily Frazier, but it had to be better than the alternative of serving fried foods to the obese masses of America.  
"Thank you so much Emily, I promise I won't let you down," Rebecca said with an ecstatic grin and grabbed Emily's hand to give it a hearty shake.  
Emily's eyes went cold again and she yanked her hand out of Rebecca's grip. "That's Ms. Frazier. Are we understood?"  
The smile fell from Rebecca's face, but she quickly regained her composure and professionalism in an instant. "Yes, of course. It won't happen again Ms. Frazier."  
"Good to hear." Emily turned her attention to the papers on her desk once more and muttered, "Monday. Nine AM. Don't be late."  
"Nine AM," Rebecca repeated in agreement. "I'll see you bright and early then."  
Without another word, she skipped out of the office in blatant joy. It wasn't bright or ideal, but it was a prospect. At this point in life, Rebecca couldn't really ask for much more.  
Emily watched the brunette's retreat with a stealthy gaze from under her lashes. She would have fun with this one -- there was no denying that. In fact, it could even be considered a step up from Amanda.  
After all, Emily knew firsthand that Rebecca did possess a wide range of talents that could come in handy as her assistant.  
Rebecca was charismatic and charming when she wanted to be, where Amanda could come off as cold and aloof -- easily, something Emily could exploit in the future. Rebecca was unwavering in her determination, where Amanda was apathetic -- that could result in some interesting scenarios that would be fun to watch. Most importantly, Rebecca owed Emily four years of her life -- four years that were going to be paid back in full back breaking, borderline humiliating torment. Either that or she would give up, and that still meant that Emily was winning in the end.  
As Emily sat back in her chair, placing her hands behind her head as she did, she thought of all the near limitless possibilities that could be had with Rebecca as her new personal assistant -- her personal bitch. It brought a wide smile to Emily's face just at the mere thought. She looked at the door once more, replaying the joyous exit that Rebecca had made out of her office just a few moments prior. If only she knew the world of pain that she was headed for soon.  
Still, even though Emily hated that woman so, there was something to be said about Rebecca. Somehow, she had maintained all of the good looks she had held throughout high school without so much as a flaw or wrinkle on her perfect face despite the years that had passed. She didn't have to like Rebecca one bit in order to appreciate that aspect of her old nemesis.  
One thing was for sure if nothing else proved true, the scenery had somehow had gotten even better from Emily's perspective.  
Branson High -- Freshman Year: Rebecca Knox  
There was a longstanding tradition with the name Knox and the pursuit of greatness -- and I was no exception to rule.  
Before my first day of high school, I was bound to be a force one could only dare to reckon with. My unwavering popularity from junior high spearheaded me to the head of the social ladder for my freshman year, and my reputation was only fueled on further when I was declared the cheerleading captain of the J. V. squad over the summer camp tryouts. Which meant by sophomore year, the Varsity squad would be under my command -- securing me as the most popular and sought after girl in all of Branson High.  
It was just a matter of time.  
Life was good. In fact, there was little that could make it any better than it already was. Perhaps I didn't have the most loyal friends or the best grades, but that was of little consequence in exchange for the most valuable currency of one's teenage years. The sweet aura of popularity and all it could bring.  
The purple and white pleats that adorned my polyester cheerleading skirt -- the home colors of the Branson Bulldogs -- swished merrily in time with every confident step I took down the halls on my first day of freshman year. A permanent smile adorned my face, which was both an invitation and a warning depending on the sex of my passerby's who met me with either envious or lustful stares. There wasn't a thing about me that screamed anything less than perfection. I was a Knox after all and as such, I was better than any of the normal peasants that I brushed past -- I was superhuman.  
As I made my way down the hallway of Branson High to take on the mantle of its future queen, everything went sideways abruptly. A nerd with her head in a book and a big gulp in her hand collided into me as she rounded a corner without looking. Some awful looking brown liquid flew out of her cup and splashed all over my brand new cheerleading uniform causing me to gasp in surprise and make all the students around us halt in their step.  
This was not how my first day of high school was supposed to go. I could not live with an embarrassment such as this. It would ruin the reputation I had spent so long cultivating to perfection -- and more than anything it would make me the weak cow of the herd. That was not an option.  
The girl with bushy blonde hair and thick-rimmed glasses dropped her cup and began to apologize profusely, even going so far as to pull a handkerchief from her bag to try to dot at the quickly staining spots covering my uniform. None of that mattered however; I had to take action to show this peon that no one -- no one -- messed with Becca Knox. It was imperative that the girl in front of me not only understood that, but also the gawkers that were beginning to surround us as well.  
With a slap to the blonde girl's hand, I sneered down at her in my best attempt to seem cold and detached to her attempt at kindly covering up her mistake. "Watch where you're fucking walking nerd!"  
The girl looked at me in shock, clearly hurt by my cruel words. "I'm really, really sorry. I wasn't paying attention," she stammered out.  
"As evidenced by the disgusting shit you just spilled all over me. I'm sure my coach will just love to hear that some idiot freshman stained the uniform she just gave her new captain."  
I flicked my hair off my shoulder and glared down at the girl that was cowering more and more by the second. My intimidation act was working like a charm and the flow of traffic had begun to resume around us. No one wanted to get caught in the crossfire of my wrath. That was good -- very good.  
"I'm sorry," the blonde girl muttered once more, averting her eyes completely now.  
"You will be when you get my dry cleaning bill," I scoffed. "Next time you get in my way I'll make sure you regret it. Are we understood?"  
The cowering girl pressed herself up against a nearby locker in order to duck away from me and nodded her head profusely. Her lower lip was quivering between her teeth -- most likely to stop her from crying at my sudden outburst from such a simple mistake. For some reason, that made me feel good about myself. It was so easy to convey my power and make people respect me through sheer terror.  
High school was going to be a breeze.  
I narrowed my eyes and stared her down with intensity. "Good."  
With that last remark I turned on my heel and strode off the way that I had originally came. I had to get back to the gymnasium before first period and change into a new uniform or at least back into my other clothes before anyone else saw me like this. There was a good chance that Coach Aldrich was bound to be pissed, but as soon as I told her the whole situation things would be sure smooth over.  
It wouldn't just be my popularity at risk but the whole squad's if anyone knew the new cheerleading captain was a push over. That just wasn't in the style of Aldrich. She was hard as nails and required her girls to convey that same strength. Weakness wasn't tolerated in the least.  
Despite the little hiccup that plagued the beginning of this day, I actually felt better once it was all said and done. Sure, it was embarrassing to begin with but by the end of my quick confrontation I had made a name for myself as taking no shit from anybody -- mistake or not. People would be whispering about the encounter later on today and there would be warnings to stay clear of the new Junior Varsity cheerleading captain. It would be a whole new facet to my reputation that would help propel me to the level of untouchable in the eyes of my peers.  
I grinned to myself as the students still lingering in the hall ran to their respective classes before the first bell rang. I felt no need to hurry though; I would make sure that Coach Aldrich would excuse any time away from class. After all it wasn't my fault that I had to make sure I was presentable for the rest of the day, that all belonged to the stupid nerd that couldn't pay attention to her own two feet.  
It was important that I found out who that particular nerd was too. It wasn't enough to embarrass her slightly in front of some kids in the hallway. I would have to make sure the point was driven home that she had just made a very volatile enemy. If I had to make sure that lesson was taught to the girl every single day for the rest of our high school lives I would.

No one crossed Becca Knox -- no one.


	2. Action and motives

Monday felt like the beginning of the end to Rebecca's life.  
Rebecca was sure that after so many years without seeing each other, Emily would have learned to get over the high school cruelty that had been dished out to her -- but Rebecca couldn't have been more wrong. Sure, the interview had been rocky and there were many moments where Rebecca was sure Emily wanted to reach over and stab her with the fancy ink pen standing upright on the expensive desk. All in all though, Rebecca still walked away with the job and that had to mean something positive. Right?  
Wrong.  
Not only was Emily unforgiving in their history, it seemed she was relentless in her mission of never letting Rebecca forget the torment she had once caused the blonde girl. At every opportunity, Emily would drop subtle barbs about Rebecca's past transgressions or hint about how far she had come after shaking the daily abuse from her life. The worst of it was being called by the nickname of Rebecca's youth though -- Becca.  
It had been a great many years since Rebecca had shaken the mantle of Becca Knox -- cheerleader, prom queen, bitch -- in order to reform her image as Rebecca Knox -- independent, hard working, loyal. Mostly it was going well despite her financial instability and trouble getting grounded. The social relationships of Rebecca's life had transformed from shallow acquaintances that furthered her popularity to real friends that cared about her well-being -- and that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Rebecca's new perspective on life. All the masks of her youth had been stripped away finally and she was learning how to become the real person that had been held down by the thick facade that had been carried around for years.  
As soon as Emily was dropped back into the middle of Rebecca's life, it felt like all of that progress could be thrown out the window. Emily didn't care about the changes that Rebecca had made -- in fact, Emily couldn't look past her own shortsighted vision of Rebecca in order to see the person standing in front of her. It was irritating to say the least.  
If that were all Rebecca had to deal with it would have been frustrating, but manageable. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The pain that Emily intended to inflict went far beyond the constant reminders of Rebecca's sins. She intended to relentlessly annoy the fuck out of Rebecca in her pursuit of revenge.  
It started off relatively innocent -- or so Rebecca thought -- but it didn't take Emily long to really kick her plan into high gear. It was no secret that Emily was clever, even in high school Rebecca was aware of that. However, the level of resourcefulness that the blonde had at her fingertips was astonishing and coming from Rebecca -- the former queen of creative punishments -- that was saying quite a bit.  
The first example of this came right away -- her first day working for Emily actually, Monday afternoon. Things had been particularly slow from the get go which was actually a sort of comfort to Rebecca. Mostly the brunette was just learning the ropes in her new position and getting settled in with the people she would have to see on a daily basis.  
It was a little after one when Emily called for an audience with her new assistant and Rebecca was all too happy to do as she was asked. She wanted to do her best to oblige Emily's requests in order to build their relationship to one that actually functioned. Or at the very least to show Emily that she was more than the cruel and selfish girl from seven plus years ago.  
The demand was a relatively simple one and it gave Rebecca hope that this wouldn't be all bad. Her new boss required nothing more than a cup of coffee. Typical assistant stuff, easy peasy.  
With a delighted hum on her lips, Rebecca made her way out into the employee's lounge to fetch the coffee. A few of the male workers gave her appreciative glances and smiles, but she courteously ignored them in favor of her task. It was more important to show Emily she could do what she was asked then to start a meaningless office fling with any of these guys. Besides, casual dating just wasn't her style anymore.  
Feeling accomplished and a little too good about herself for finishing her first official -- albeit simple -- task, Rebecca brought the cup of coffee back to Emily. It occurred to her briefly that Emily never told her how she took her coffee, never once asking for cream or sugar, but ultimately Rebecca decided that it was inconsequential. If Emily wanted something specific, she would have said it. Rebecca couldn't stand it personally, but if Emily liked her java black then so be it.  
"Your coffee Ms. Frazier," Rebecca said with her most sincere smile before setting the cup down in front of Emily.  
Emily looked down at the Styrofoam cup with disdain in her eyes. Her nose wrinkled and the edges of her mouth turned down in a frown, completing the look of disappointment. She raised her face and met Rebecca with that gaze of disgust, which caused the tall brunette to step back from her boss unconsciously.  
"What the hell is this?" Emily demanded.  
"Coffee?" Rebecca answered in a slow and unsure voice.  
"From the lounge?"  
"Yes." Rebecca scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and looked down at the cup before meeting Emily's stare again. "Is that a problem? You didn't really specify..."  
Rebecca got the uncomfortable feeling that she had just walked into a trap. She was sure she had fucked up when Emily crossed her arms and sat back in her chair to stare Rebecca down. The blonde lifted her foot onto the desk and used the toe of her high-heeled shoes to push the coffee back towards Rebecca -- as if touching it would give her some unknown and terrible disease. The whole interaction made Rebecca's stomach drop. She had a feeling it would only get worse from here.  
"No, no, no," Emily started in her pleasant condescending voice. "I don't drink the mud that everyone else in this place does. I said I wanted coffee, not shit. Go and fetch me drinkable coffee from a real cafe. Now."  
Rebecca drew in a deep breath and nodded. She should have anticipated that the task was too easy. Without another word, she retreated from Emily's office and went to do as she had been instructed.  
Living in a big city made it relatively easy to find a cafe quick. Knowing that this errand would be completed soon gave Rebecca some peace of mind, but there was also the nauseating prospect that Emily was simply setting her up for failure once more. Rebecca shook these thoughts, believing that Emily wouldn't be that cruel on her first day. Some people were just particular about their coffee and there was nothing wrong with that.  
After waiting in the line for a quick minute, Rebecca paid for the cup of black coffee and rushed back to the office as quick as she could. It was only a few blocks from the Zendex building so the trip wasn't a long one at least. Hopefully, this would be the end of Emily's request so she could get back to familiarizing herself with the rest of her mundane tasks.  
Again, Rebecca knocked on Emily's office door and delivered the coffee in front of her blonde boss. Emily gazed at the cup, lifted it to her nose and smelled before setting it back down on the desk. Once more she set Rebecca with a look, this time a little more amused than disgusted.  
"Let me guess, the Steamed Bean?" Emily accurately assumed.  
"Is that bad?" Rebecca asked tentatively.  
Emily hummed and spun the cup around on the desk idly by the lid. "Seeing how they don't even import their beans, yes. I would prefer if you went to the place across town."  
This was becoming just a little frustrating to Rebecca, but she grit her teeth and allowed herself to get over the minor irritation that Emily was causing. At this point Rebecca was sure that Emily didn't really care that much about where she got her coffee as long as she could keep running Rebecca ragged. She wasn't going to let the little blonde get to her though -- not so soon in the job at least.  
"Sure thing Em- Ms. Frazier," Rebecca caught herself quickly and gave Emily a put on smile, all sincerity drained out of it compared to earlier.  
"Oh, and make sure it's a mocha latte would you?" Emily called out in a cheerful voice as Rebecca nearly stomped out of the office.  
When Rebecca was out of earshot, she muttered under her breath in a mocking tone, "Make sure it's a mocha latte, ugh."  
At least now she knew the order that she would have to get.  
After spending twenty minutes hailing down a cab to take her to the east side of town from where the Zendex building was located, Rebecca once again found a café that looked suitable to her uptight bosses liking -- the Daily Grind. She couldn't be sure of course, but it was the most pretentious looking coffee shop around and Rebecca was sure that was something that Emily could relate to.  
Rebecca stood in line tapping her foot and glancing at the menu, considering grabbing a cup for herself while she was at it. Just as she was about to reach the front of the line her phone rang. Rebecca looked down at the unfamiliar number and considered ignoring it, but something inside her compelled her to answer it. Good thing too, because the pushy blonde was on the other end.  
"Where are you Becca?" Emily asked impatiently.

"Waiting in line to get your coffee," Rebecca answered and then asked in a perplexed tone. "Wait a second. How did you get my number?"  
"Please don't ask stupid questions Becca," Emily sighed. "Now where are you in town, specifically?"  
Rebecca looked out the glass of the front door and tried to remember what street the cafe was located on. "Umm, between eighteenth and Maple."  
"On the east side?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
Emily sighed again as if she were exhausted with the conversation. "I thought I told you to go to the west side, not the east side."  
Rebecca was almost positive that Emily had told her no such thing, but she was in no mind to argue with the irritating blonde. "Of course. How could I have forgotten? I'll head over that way right now. Is there anywhere specific I should go?"  
"Oh, I'm sure you can figure it out," Emily said and promptly hung the phone up.  
There was a fleeting moment where Rebecca wanted to chuck her cell across the cafe, but thought better of it. That woman was completely insufferable. It was a wonder how Rebecca would be able to put up with her on a day-to-day basis at this rate.  
Rebecca stepped out of line before she could make it to the barista, completely abandoning the thought of getting her own cup now. It just wasn't worth it to make Emily any more irritated then she seemed. The only goal in Rebecca's mind now was shutting the blonde up by shoving her stupid mocha down her throat.  
As the brunette turned to leave the cafe, she was caught in her tracks by the sight of Amanda -- Emily's previous secretary -- sitting in a booth by the window and tapping away at a laptop. Rebecca weighed out the options of approaching her and finally decided it might be worth it to try to get a hint to make her current boss happier with her. Perhaps Amanda could even give her an idea to turn the tables on Emily. It was unlikely, but it was worth a try.  
"Excuse me?" Rebecca said approaching the girl that was easily four or five years younger than Emily and herself.  
Amanda turned to Rebecca with speculation and then raised her eyebrows at her new guest. "Ah, the girl from the office. How can I help you?"  
There was less animosity in her voice than Rebecca had remembered from their last interaction. It made Rebecca wonder if the girl was feeling suffocated under Emily's reign as well. It wouldn't be surprising exactly, but it was curious to think about. Boy, oh boy, how times really did change people.  
"This might sound crazy, but I was sort of hoping you could give me a hand with something. I've been all over town trying to get Emily a decent cup of coffee and I can't seem to find the place she likes. You think you could give me a hint?" Rebecca sounded exasperated by the time she finished her explanation to Amanda.  
Amanda's brows rose higher and then she shook her head, causing her hair to swish from left to right, and began to laugh. For no particular reason Rebecca noted that the girl's hair was bottled blonde unlike Emily's natural tawny blonde. It was of no concern to Rebecca ultimately however.  
"Oh my, she really doesn't like you does she?" Amanda asked, still chuckling lightly.  
"Not particularly no. We have sort of a...complicated past." Rebecca answered through her teeth. "Why do you ask?"  
"Well I got the impression after you left last week, but this just confirms it."  
Rebecca sighed. "Look, I really don't want to piss her off anymore today. We're already off to a rocky start. So can you help me or not?"  
"Sure. March your butt back through that line and order a sixteen ounce caramel macchiato with four shots," Amanda answered simply and went back to typing. She still shook with giggles even as Rebecca stared on at her with unbelieving eyes.  
"Wait a second. Is she just sending me on a wild goose chase?" Rebecca demanded.  
Amanda held up a finger without looking at the brunette. "Bingo."  
"That bitch," Rebecca muttered and stomped her foot. "Let me guess, when she asked for a mocha latte that was just so she could embarrass me by saying it was the wrong drink or some shit wasn't it?"  
A fresh batch of laughter rippled through Amanda. "Oh she really, really does not like you does she?"  
That was all Rebecca needed to hear. She turned on her heel and went to stand in line once more, grumbling the entire time she was forced to wait. Once she got to the front of the line Rebecca ordered two identical drinks to the specifications of what Amanda had told her, all while continuing to curse Emily under her breath.  
When the drinks were in her hand, Rebecca gulped down half of one before heading out the door. Amanda looked up as Rebecca left and wished her good luck -- God knew that Rebecca was sure to need it in the coming days. For a moment, Rebecca was actually upset with herself for not asking Amanda for her number in case she needed more assistance dealing with Emily in the future. It was of little concern though since she was probably on her own in the end anyways.  
Rebecca hurried back to the office from the cafe as quick as she could. She was breathless from running up the stairs by the time she got to the fourth floor where Emily's office resided. Rebecca was sure there would be a scolding waiting for her from Emily as soon as she got into the blonde's office, so why prolong it any longer by waiting for the elevator?  
Emily had a look of pure mirth as Rebecca walked in with her coffee. She was just waiting to spring another fast one on the brunette, but upon seeing the logo around the cup that had just been set in front of her she faltered. With narrowed eyes, Emily looked up at Rebecca.  
The tall girl's hair was mussed up from running all over the place and she looked red in the face with a light layer of sweat shining on her skin under the bright lights of the office. Cautiously, the blonde reached out, brought the cup to her lips, and took a sip. It was her exact order and from her favorite place no less. How in the hell did Rebecca manage that when Emily had given her all the wrong directions?  
Doing her best not to let the disappointment at Rebecca's success show, Emily set the coffee back down and folded her hands on top of the desk. The two locked eyes for a good long moment before Emily finally cleared her throat and pushed the cup away a little. Rebecca stood taller in anticipation to what Emily had to say and that made the blonde smile a little in spite of herself.  
"You know what?" Emily asked to a raised eyebrow from the girl across the desk. "I think I'm in the mood for tea instead."  
Rebecca didn't even bat an eye. "Sure thing Ms. Frazier," she replied as sweet as could be and left Emily alone in the office once more.  
Once Rebecca had gone, Emily reached for the coffee again and took a greedy gulp. The girl was still a worthy adversary. That much hadn't changed a bit.  
***  
Following the coffee fiasco that took up most of Rebecca's first day, she decided to make a trip over to the Daily Grind in order to get Emily's favorite drink every morning before coming into the office. It could be considered as a bit of a suck up move she supposed, but Rebecca saw it more as a preemptive strike. She wanted to get into Emily's good graces and she also wanted to make sure that the blonde understood how much Rebecca was paying attention.  
The first time Rebecca came in with the caramel macchiato, set it down and left, Emily was surprised -- pleasantly so -- but she refused to give Rebecca the satisfaction. After a week of this treatment however, Emily began to look forward to her daily dose of caffeine delivered right to her, courtesy of Rebecca. It was a nice gesture and one that saved the blonde plenty of time during her busy schedule. She was incapable of telling the brunette this, but she did make an attempt to be a little nicer -- of course, that just meant not sending Rebecca on useless errands solely for Emily's entertainment purposes.  
After Rebecca had settled in for a few weeks Emily felt the need to mess with the girl a little more however. She had been playing with kid gloves for a while and it was time for another dose of Rebecca's medicine in Emily's book. Of course, being who she was, Emily did this in a way that was a little more subtle and annoying than torturous. Emily liked to watch Rebecca struggle rather than suffer after all.  
With the attitude that Emily had been displaying lately, Rebecca actually thought that she was in the clear and on the turn to a better relationship with her new boss. She had no idea that things were just in a temporary lull. However, she figured it out quick enough when Emily called her into the office with a new task for the day.  
"So, I've been thinking lately that things are getting a little stagnant around here," Emily mused without any preamble upon Rebecca's entrance into her office. "I've considered rearranging things. What do you think?"  
Rebecca was sure that her opinion meant very little to Emily in the end -- and she would have been right in that assumption -- so she said what she thought Emily wanted to hear instead of what she was actually thinking. "I'm sure that will help your creative flow quite a bit."  
"It would, wouldn't it?" Emily agreed with a hearty nod and ran her thumb and forefinger along her jaw line in thought. "I think you should move my desk along the back wall there."  
This caught Rebecca off guard. She figured that Emily just wanted a second opinion from someone agreeable, there was no way that she actually expected Rebecca to do the heavy work did she? A few moments passed in silence with Emily still looking around the room in contemplation and Rebecca standing in shocked silence.  
Finally, Emily broke that quiet with a quirked brow in Rebecca's direction. "You can get started whenever. The sooner the better actually."  
"But isn't that someone else's job? One of the guys perhaps? This doesn't seem like it would be my responsibility..."  
The thoughtful look left Emily's face, quickly replaced by a flash of irritation. "Becca, don't you think I would know what is and is not your responsibility? Your responsibility is whatever I tell you to do -- and right now I'm telling you to move the damn desk."  
After realizing that she wasn't joking in the least, Rebecca begrudgingly approached Emily's desk. It looked heavy and it wasn't small by any means. She worried about her bad leg for a moment before attempting to move the desk -- wondering if this would cause a flare up -- but disregarded it quickly. Between her leg acting up and Emily prissiness, she would choose the old injury every time.  
With a big sigh, Rebecca gripped the edge of the desk and began dragging it over to the wall that Emily had pointed out. It was evident that the desk wasn't the only obstacle in her way, the thick carpet in the office also made the going tough. Rebecca grunted and groaned in an effort to move the huge slab of wood and eventually it began to go the way she wanted it to. Thankfully, Emily's destination wasn't too far from the original placing of the mahogany monstrosity.  
"It's not that heavy you know. I've had to move that thing a dozen times or more, so stop being so dramatic," Emily scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "And besides, you're an athlete for Christ's sake."  
Rebecca threw her boss a nasty glance over the shoulder before settling back to her original task. She wasn't about to bring up the old injury in her left leg that made the going a lot harder than it should have been She also wasn't going to bring up the fact that moving this desk with Emily's stature seemed physically impossible. More than anything though, Rebecca wasn't going to give Emily the satisfaction of admitting defeat.  
Eventually the desk was moved to the spot Emily wanted it. Instantly the blonde went back into a contemplative state of observation. She walked around the small room and sized everything up, using her thumb and forefinger of each hand to make a frame and squinting one eye to look through it. If Rebecca wasn't trying so hard to catch her breath, she probably would have found Emily's face quite humorous.  
"Actually," Emily drawled, sending a pang of despair right to the core of Rebecca's gut. "I think I would like it more over here."  
The blonde pointed out a spot completely across the room, causing Rebecca to curse under her breath.  
"What was that?" Emily asked softly. Rebecca didn't have to be a genius to know that tone was a trap just waiting to happen.  
"I said that would look great," Rebecca lied smoothly and went straight to work without another word of argument. She couldn't wait for this little slice of hell to be over with already.  
"It really will, won't it?" Emily replied idly and glanced at her nails while the brunette drug the desk completely across the room once more.  
It took a bit longer to move the desk a second time. Rebecca was doubled over the top of it with sweat dripping down her face by the time she was done. There was a twinge just under her left knee, but there was no way she would let Emily on to that for a moment.  
"Mmm, that's not bad, but I don't like it. Perhaps right here would be the best," Emily said. "Oh and Becca? Don't sweat all over my desk. You'll stain the varnish."  
"Yes ma'am," Rebecca grunted more than a little sarcastically.  
Rebecca didn't give a fuck if Emily didn't like her tone at this point. She didn't give a fuck about anything Emily wanted anymore. Still, it didn't stop her from gripping the edge of the desk once more -- while digging her nails into the hard wood in an act of spite no less -- and moving it a third time.  
Rebecca stepped away from the desk and stood up straight. She wanted to collapse onto one of the two plush chairs on the back wall of Emily's office, but stopped herself in the last minute. The image of strength had to be maintained around Emily. There were plenty of changes in the blonde's personality since the mousy, outcast she was in high school, but the biggest one was her ability to sense weakness. If Emily caught a whiff of it from Rebecca -- even for a moment -- she was bound to pounce on the brunette like a lioness going in for the kill.  
"You know what?" Emily asked with a pleasant smile directed at her employee, causing Rebecca to tense up and fear the worst. "I think this is perfect."  
Rebecca watched as Emily pulled the expensive office chair back up to the desk and sat down. The blonde made herself comfortable, even going so far as to kick her legs up on the desk and cross her ankles. She glanced up and down the disheveled brunette and smiled wide.  
"Yup, this is just right. Good job Becca."  
Rebecca didn't take that as actual praise though. There was just something too sweet in that voice for it to be one of real congratulations. If anything, Emily had simply grown tired of this game and was thanking Rebecca for entertaining her. That wasn't something Rebecca wanted praise for by any means.  
Even if it was sincere however, the use of Rebecca's name in a way she hated nullified any positivity that the gesture carried. She wished there was a way to get Emily to stop using the stupid nickname, but by now it was impossible. The blonde could see how much it made Rebecca uncomfortable and the last thing she was going to do was relinquish a weapon to the enemy.  
"Is there anything else you need Ms. Frazier?" Rebecca asked without much concern to what Emily could actually want.  
Emily considered the question for a long moment while swiveling back and forth in her chair. "No, I think you've helped enough for now. You're free to go."  
Rebecca was never so happy to be out of that damn office as she was right now. The curses towards Emily didn't come out until the door was securely closed behind her and she was back to sitting at her own desk -- but once they started to fly they got awfully creative in their ways of damning Emily to every circle of hell that there was and then some. It didn't help at all that the stupid desk ended up exactly where it had began, completely confirming that this whole thing was simply to fuck with Rebecca and nothing more. It was stupid of her to think that things could change so easily between them with the level of history the two shared.  
How could she have thought any different for even a second?  
***  
No matter how much Emily drove Rebecca crazy it was nothing compared to how the brunette's friends felt about her.  
These people knew nothing about the past that the two shared prior to Rebecca's employment at Zendex Media, but as soon as she was hired on they got the full tale from Rebecca's side of things. Admittedly, it was a bit censored in some places so they wouldn't think the worst of her, but Rebecca was candid with just about everything involving the checkered past between Emily and her. The taunts, the pranks, the manipulative schemes -- all of it.  
Even when the tale was over and done with, they couldn't understand how Emily was unable to get over what had happened to her in high school and for that Rebecca actually felt sympathy to the girl she had bullied. These people heard what had happened, but they weren't there to witness the disaster that was Branson High. They didn't live it like Emily and Rebecca had. This was probably why they couldn't understand how Rebecca had put up with so much from Emily thus far and continued to take the shits that were dealt out by her boss. In their half-lidded focus to the whole story, they believed Rebecca had nothing to prove to the domineering blonde.  
"It's hard to explain," Rebecca said with a sigh after she had been asked yet again about finding a new job. It felt like this was the millionth time now since everything at Zendex had began.  
"I don't understand what's so hard about it. That girl's a bitch. You should just go somewhere else."  
This simple, albeit blunt, response came from Rebecca's best friend Evelyn McAlister -- Evie to her friends. The little redhead was a spitfire that had no problem telling things exactly how they were and that's exactly what Rebecca liked about her. Evie sugarcoated nothing and she didn't believe in playing anything but hardball with people. This was the one case where that trait grated on Rebecca's nerves however. Evie wasn't just wrong in this situation -- she was delusional.  
"I can't just quit my job because I don't get along with my boss. That's absolute crazy talk Evie," Rebecca said in a huff. "I mean, how many people actually get along with their boss anyways?"  
"You make a good point Bec, but I think this is a bit different. I mean it's sort of a conflict of interest don't you think?" Rawly mused.  
Rawly Stanton and his wife Celia had been there for Rebecca through thick and thin for the last three years or so. While only a few years older than Rebecca and Evie, the couple acted like surrogate parents to the two girls. It was a wonder they didn't have kids of their own yet, but with the hassle that Rebecca and Evie put them through it wasn't too surprising. Their adult children needed to settle down a bit more before they put any more stress on their life with little ones.  
"Rawly's right," Celia interjected. "She's not just being mean because she's your boss -- she's intentionally doing things to get under your skin."  
"And you're letting her!" Evie damn near hollered in Rebecca's face.  
"Look, I don't have much of a choice right now. Pickings are slim in the job department as it is and there's no place that will give me the benefits that Zendex has," Rebecca told her friends with a hard stare before looking down at her fidgeting hands. "It's a shitty deal, I know, but it's not all bad."  
"Unless you count that Emily bitch," Evie muttered under her breath.  
Rebecca sighed, trying to find the patience to deal with her tiny friend. "I can't really blame her, you know. I did make her life hell everyday for so many years. It's only right that she's had the chance to dish it back out for the past few months."

"Personally I think it's admirable that you believe the world works in such a way and that you're willing to take your comeuppance so well, but how long do you have to suffer before things are even?" Rawly asked me quietly.  
"I don't know," Rebecca shrugged. "Until I can make her see the changes I've made I guess."  
"Oh, so you'll be this girl's bitch for life then?" Evie scoffed.  
"Why do you have to make this so difficult for me? It's not that bad, really," Rebecca said in an attempt to reason with Evie. Or just make her shut up. Whatever worked first.  
Evie stood up and threw her hands in the air. "You know what? I don't care. Let her walk all over you. It's none of my business, right?"  
"Evie..." Rebecca began, but the redhead put a hand up to silence her friend.  
"Just don't, okay? When you realize that we were trying to help you see that this is all bullshit, then you can come and find me."  
With that, Evie left with a hard slam of the door. Rebecca groaned and threw herself back on the couch. "Why does she have to be so God damn difficult all the time?"  
"She's just trying to help dear," Celia reminded Rebecca with a pat on her knee.  
"Yeah, in that irritating Evie way that usually ends up making things worse than they already are!" Rebecca said, her voice rising an octave as she spoke. "I mean, does she even give a shit about my opinion in all of this or does she just see something unpleasant and think about what matters to her?"  
Rawly took a sip from his coffee cup before speaking over the edge of it, making him look decidedly wiser than he was. "I think she's just trying to be the best friend that she can, which isn't always easy for Evie. You know that."  
"Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it," Celia agreed. "She'll come around eventually."  
"I sure hope so. I don't really need another enemy right now." Rebecca muttered.  
That couldn't be any more true either. With the way Emily had been lately, Rebecca already felt like the world was against her. It would be nice to know that she had the few people that believed in her at her corner. Perhaps she would call Evie over later and try to explain things so the girl would understand better.  
Rebecca couldn't help thinking that it may have been better not to censor her story with Emily so much. Maybe if Rebecca had laid it all out exactly how it was then her friends would understand that she had a lot of payback due -- even if it did seem quite unfair from an outside perspective. Although, from Rebecca's perspective Emily could do everything in her power to torture her for a very long time and it wouldn't feel like she had paid the blonde back in full.  
Rebecca had a lot to make up for after all.  
Branson High -- Freshman Year: Emily Frazier  
School used to be a safe haven, but high school turned it into a bigger war zone then home was.  
At least in junior high I had some degree of community in the few friendships that I had cultivated through the three years there. However, high school saw the five of us split into every direction imaginable. Two of my friends moved out of state and the other two ended up at the other high schools in the city, which left me utterly alone once more during freshman year.  
The first day was already nerve wracking enough just being in a new place, but then I had to piss off the worst person in the world -- Becca Knox.  
I had no idea why she had gotten so angry with me despite everything I had done to rectify the situation. To me it was a simple mistake that was easily fixed, but for some reason the girl turned into one of the nastiest human beings I had ever met at the drop of the hat. It was a shame really, since she was so very pretty. To have such an ugly personality confirmed my thoughts about beautiful people -- everything has to even out somehow and their looks can't cover up what's inside forever.  
After that first encounter, I made a mental note to avoid Becca at every cost. The last thing I needed was another encounter like that first day. Besides, she had strictly warned me to stay away anyways. The desire to keep a distance from one another was something that we could mutually agree on if nothing else.  
My luck almost never played out for me unfortunately and more often than not, I found my path crossing Becca's in the worst way possible. There was a piece of me that wondered if the girl secretly had it out for me and so she actually sought me out to torment. It was hard to believe that such a popular girl would waste so much time on me though. It must have just been a trick of my mind. I was simply unlucky, nothing more.  
After months of the abuse however, I had to reconsider my original thoughts. I always seemed to be at the top of Becca's shit list despite the distance I put up between us and despite my constant attempts to be as nice as I could possibly be to her when we did cross paths. Regardless of all that, Becca was always right there just waiting to make my life worse than it already was.  
Sometimes they were simple attacks such as calling out insulting names with the help of her idiot friends, which became the easiest confrontations to ward off. As time went on though, Becca got more creative in her endeavors to humiliate me. She began to do things like stealing my bag and scattering my textbooks all across the school or hiding rancid meat in my locker until the smell was impossible to get out of the personal belongings I kept in there.  
One time she even rigged up a can of paint to spill all over me when I went into the girl's bathroom. It's a mystery how she managed to have someone on guard all day -- just waiting for me to come in -- to do the deed of dumping the light purple paint all over me. Even in her cruelty Becca managed to have Branson pride it would seem.  
Fortunately -- or unfortunately depending on how you look at things -- my parents never became privy to my daily torture. It was nice not having to answer a barrage of questions when I came home three hours late after crying alone at the park or especially that time I came home covered in dried paint. It was the only time in my life that I was truly happy to have inattentive parents.  
Of course, being home was generally no better than being at school. My mother was always drunk no matter how hard things got for us financially. More often than not, she would be passed out on the couch from last night's bender, so I wouldn't have to deal with her. Sometimes though, she would get into a mood that was full of incomprehensible rage.  
There were many instances where I would be in my room with the door locked just trying to finish up my homework while she was on the other side of the door kicking and screaming at me. Mostly things like how she wished I would have never been born and that I was just an accident. Then an hour later I would have to put her to bed since she would be in a ball crying on the hallway floor. By that point she was singing a completely different tune -- one that said how much she loved me and how scared she had always been to be a mother.  
I didn't care much about her rants either way; I had grown numb to them.  
My father was never present for any of this. He worked two jobs to keep the three of us afloat and when he wasn't working, it was impossible to find him. Sometimes I believed he led a double life away from my mother and me because we were an embarrassment to him. As such, I had absolutely no relationship with the man that gave me life.  
Despite the neglect I suffered in my home life it was still light years better than the abuse I suffered at the hands of Becca Knox. At least at home I could become a phantom that didn't really exist. Even during my mother's drunken bouts of rage, I was convinced that I wasn't actually there to her.  
Becca never forgot I was there.  
I would have been content to ghost through high school as a nobody, but Becca wouldn't allow that. She wanted to remind me of my place on a daily basis. That place was sub level to where normal human beings resided. I was lesser than everyone else in her eyes for whatever reason and it seemed that the bitch wouldn't be content until I was a completely broken shell of a human being.  
I would never allow that one thing though. She could beat me down, call me names and even make me cry, but she couldn't take away who I was. In the end, she couldn't make me conform to her will no matter what she did. I was never going to plead for acceptance and beg for forgiveness for crimes that I hadn't committed. The first time she shunned my apology was the only time she would ever hear one from me. I would hold my head high and take everything Becca had to dish out because I had no other option.  
At the end of the day, I knew exactly who I was. I knew I was going to make something of myself despite everything holding me back. I knew that I was better than she was. It was only a matter of time before I could prove it.  
High school wouldn't last forever and I was just counting down the days until I could turn my back on Branson High and Becca Knox for good.


	3. Don't hold back

"You really want me to tell you that you're better than me don't you? Don't you!" Rebecca spat.  
Emily uttered a humorless chuckle. "Well it's not like you would be telling me anything new! I know I'm better than you!"  
"Of course! How could I think for a second that you would expect anything less from a lowly peasant like myself? You're so wonderful and great Emily! I'm so fucking lucky to be in your presence; in fact I should be downright grateful!"

"Don't you dare pull that patronizing shit with me Knox! It's not like you didn't strut around like you were God's gift all throughout high school!"  
They had been arguing for what felt like hours now. The pressure being built up between the two massive egos finally exploded in a devastating cataclysm. With the heat being thrown between Rebecca and Emily, it was a wonder that the whole damn building hadn't yet caught fire and burned down.  
Every day it was getting harder for Rebecca not to lash out on the short blonde. True, she had told her friends that she felt as though she deserved the treatment to some degree. Also true, that she had taken the punishment with a smile and a nod most days. However, Emily was becoming downright insufferable lately. It was almost as if she was getting desperate about something.

It all started that morning. Emily had been her typically overbearing self and Rebecca was doing her utmost just to deal with her boss's attitude. As the day drug on however, the smile Rebecca wore had become tighter and less authentic with every moment as she attempted to do her job without acting on her desire to strangle Emily. It was tough to say the very least.

All this was made so much worse when Emily had Rebecca stay late to assist with the project that Emily was trying her damndest to finish up before the weekend. Probably without the benefit of actual overtime pay I'm betting, Rebecca had thought sourly when the blonde had all but demanded the extra time from her. The cramped space plus the added stress was truly a volatile combination and it made the tension between the two painfully apparent.  
"Get me the Hanson folder Becca," Emily said with a point to the long table on the far right side of the room that held a number of documents, sketches and folders strewn across it.

Emily's head was down and her eyes were focused on whatever the hell she was working on. Rebecca honestly had no idea what it was; she was just supposed to be the errand girl until Emily told her to go home. Being out of the loop made it that much more frustrating somehow.  
There was a pause on Rebecca's end as she waited for some sort of courtesy from Emily -- a please perhaps. She was irritated when her boss looked up, scowled with expectance in her eyes, and simply said, "Now."

Rebecca grumbled under her breath as she went to fetch the folder and tossed it on the desk at Emily. With the same attitude she had been receiving from Emily, Rebecca walked back to her previous seat without so much as a 'you're welcome.' Emily wanted to be a bitch and two could play at that game. Rebecca had taken about enough shit lately.  
This action of belligerence set Emily off. The little blonde looked up slowly from her project and narrowed her eyes at Rebecca. The brunette quirked an eyebrow at her and challenged the blonde with a stare. Try me, I fucking dare you, that stare said.  
Emily never looked away from the challenge to Rebecca's disappointment. She simply flipped the folder open and began thumbing through pages, while holding Rebecca's gaze the whole time. After a few moments of this standoff, Rebecca actually began to feel uncomfortable under the scrutiny of Emily's dark green eyes. Perhaps she was in over her head here.

Only when the tall brunette looked away and began to squirm did Emily set her unwavering gaze back to the project in front of her. She refused to be intimidated by Rebecca for even a moment. This wasn't Branson High and Rebecca wasn't queen of the coop here. This was Emily's territory and Rebecca would do well to remember it.  
Feeling satisfied from intimidating Rebecca with just her stare, Emily went back to finishing her presentation plans for Monday. The proposal for a new billboard going up between Broadway and Main was under Emily's jurisdiction and she intended to do a good enough job to catch the attention of the higher ups at Zendex. She was gunning for the top spot in the future and Emily would be damned if she didn't get it in good time.

Rebecca crossed her arms and watched Emily with furrowed brows. She hated that Emily had such an effect on her now when it used to be the complete opposite between them. It was never hard to make the blonde cower in her presence in the past and now here was Rebecca acting like a scorned puppy in the corner while Emily was doing just fine. It was as if the gaze of death that Rebecca had perfected for so many years just passed right through Emily -- as if she wore some sort of impenetrable armor now.  
The more Rebecca mulled this over the more it pissed her off. When had she lost every bit of power she once had? When had she turned into such a limp loser? This was not the Knox aura at all. Emily should be backing off and giving her some sort of respect from the stare she had nailed her with alone!  
This destructive train of thought caused Rebecca to strike out much more aggressively than before when Emily called on her help again. It was unnecessary and completely ridiculous, but her pride was injured and she couldn't help herself. As much as she had tried, Becca Knox was coming out to play and mild mannered Rebecca was sent to the back of her conscious stream.

"Becca. The sketches for Broadway," Emily demanded, without even bothering to make eye contact with her assistant.  
"Get them yourself," Rebecca spat.  
Again, Emily looked up from her work very slowly to meet Rebecca's eyes. However, there was a slight difference this time. A grin graced the pretty features of Emily's face and it twisted Rebecca up inside in a way she didn't like at all.  
"What was that?" Emily used that sickeningly sweet tone that Rebecca absolutely hated and the knot in her stomach twisted painfully again.  
"I said get them yourself. Or at least ask me nicely." Rebecca lifted her chin and stood her ground despite the uncomfortable feeling in her gut that made her want to vomit.  
"I don't think you understand how this arrangement works here, sweetie." Emily's voice dripped with venom on that last word and suddenly Rebecca was filled with more rage than illness.

It was plain as day that Emily was mocking her now. Mocking that old Becca Knox attitude that the blonde had been on the receiving end of too many times to count. Rebecca knew exactly what Emily's game was suddenly, because by all measures, it was her game -- and Rebecca would be damned if she was beat at her own game.  
"Fuck off," Rebecca growled and stood from her chair to square her shoulders at her boss.  
The grin on Emily's face widened. That smile may have been the most uncomfortable thing yet. It held so much hidden contempt in the way it made her eyes twinkle. There was recognition in that twinkle that just made it all worse. Rebecca felt like she had just stepped on a landmine all of a sudden.  
"There's my girl," Emily said very quietly. "I've been waiting for your true colors to finally shine and here they are."  
"You don't know shit about me Emily," Rebecca huffed, not even caring if she lost her job at the end of this dispute.  
Rebecca was seeing red now and Emily was the only thing in her sight. Visions of dragging the snarky fucking blonde across that desk and beating her within an inch of her life flashed across Rebecca's mind. It literally took everything she had to push these thoughts out. If she were going to beat Emily down it would be with her intellect this time, not her fists.

Emily got to her feet and strolled around her desk until she was facing Rebecca. She did this was such composed ease that it was a little scary. The control she had over her emotions was faring much better than Rebecca's in this moment.  
"I know you better than you think Becca," Emily said very calmly. "I know the real you, remember? The one you probably try to hide from all of your new friends. The one you've tried to lock away so the world doesn't see how disgusting and ugly you really are under that beautiful mask you wear."  
Rebecca refused to show how much that comment really dug underneath her skin and instead fired back with whatever she could think of. "Oh yeah? What does that make you then? Little miss perfect or something?"  
"Only compared to you." Emily grinned.  
At this point Rebecca stomped forward to stand in Emily's personal space and proceeded to ask her how much better she thought she was. Emily, of course, thought that she was leagues better than Rebecca. And so the battle raged back and forth, with voices escalating, hands waving and spittle flying between the two enraged women.  
Rebecca had an odd realization as it was all happening that she had never seen Emily quite like this and it made her feel something extremely strange. The twisting in her stomach persisted, but instead of being painful and uncomfortable in that nervous way, it was twisting to touch another part of her -- a part of her more south of the border. The sudden sensations made Rebecca want to take a step back and reevaluate the entire situation but then she would be showing Emily her weakness, worse yet, she would be letting the bossy little blonde win.

So instead of taking the smarter, more mature route, Rebecca pushed in harder and moved even closer to Emily until their noses were almost touching. "Well you're just pissed that you never got to exact your petty revenge on me until now. Some fucking superior that you are!"  
"At least I have superiority, unlike you. Ever since high school all you've tried to do is reclaim that feeling of being important, but the truth is nobody fucking cares about you! They never did!" Emily hissed in Rebecca's face.  
The next moments went by so fast that Rebecca couldn't even grasp what the hell was going on, let alone react against the urges that suddenly overtook her. Rebecca grabbed Emily by her dark navy blazer and pulled the blonde flush to her body. Moments later their lips were mashed together, effectively silencing Emily's sharp tongue all together.  
As soon as Rebecca realized what was going on she expected Emily to stop whatever was happening and push the brunette back, but she didn't. Likewise, Rebecca kept asking herself what the fuck was going on, but couldn't find the strength to detach herself away from Emily's soft lips either. In fact, the longer the two were pressed together the tighter they grasped each other and it seemed that they wouldn't ever break apart. 

 

Emily took Rebecca's sweater in between her fingers and walked her back to the table with the multitude of scattered documents across it. Rebecca followed willingly, still pressing her lips against the shorter girls with a hunger that was foreign to the brunette. Emily broke apart from Rebecca just long enough to throw an arm across that table, effectively sending every paper flying, before hopping on top of it.

With the hand still fisted in her sweater, Emily pulled Rebecca forward with a harsh tug. One of the blonde's thighs slid between Rebecca's legs and lifted until it made contact with the brunette's center. Rebecca whimpered softly and crashed her lips back against Emily's without a second thought.  
It didn't take long until Rebecca was rubbing herself against Emily's thigh like a bitch in heat. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware that she should be ashamed, but Rebecca smothered that part of herself out and lived in the now instead. Besides, she wanted this so fucking bad -- scratch that, Rebecca needed it.  
Emily was quite aware of Rebecca's situation and did nothing to halt it in any way. In fact, Emily spurred the other girl on by grasping her hips tightly and grinding her down harder, all while kissing the life out of the brunette. Emily bit the taller girl's lower lip and then ran a soothing lick across the bite before plunging her tongue into Rebecca's mouth. She was met with an enthusiastic moan from Rebecca and Emily grinned into the kiss, feeling empowered by the control she wielded in this moment.  
Rebecca felt like she just couldn't get enough. Emily's hands on her hips. Emily's tongue in her mouth. Oh God, Emily's thigh pressed against her sopping wet crotch. All of it was deliciously overwhelming.

The brunette couldn't actually remember the last time someone had lit up her body so well. She couldn't even remember the last time she had such an overpowering lust for another human being. Yet here she was, wanting the last person she ever expected to want -- and damn, was Emily doing a real good fucking job at lighting her up like no one had ever done before.

So good, in fact that she could feel that twisting knot in her stomach coming to a boil quicker than she thought possible. Rebecca gripped Emily's neck so hard that her fingernails began to dig into the blonde's skin. She sucked the shorter girls tongue deep into her mouth and moaned around it in such a wanton way that it sent shivers down Emily's spine.  
Emily held fast to Rebecca's hips and jammed the girl down harder onto her thigh. She knew exactly what was going on and she was damned determined to make the girl come all over her leg if she had anything to do with the situation at all. Emily wanted that power over Rebecca. It was the ultimate revenge in a way -- to have your nemesis begging for your touch, needing your power to give her the release she so desired, pleading for you until she just couldn't take it anymore.  
Oh yes, Emily planned to turn Rebecca into that girl now that she had the in and she was sure as hell going to enjoy every delicious moment of it.  
"Fuck!" Rebecca cried out, pulling her mouth from Emily's finally.

Rebecca's head fell onto Emily's shoulder and she shivered through the spasms of her orgasm. Her breath came in heavy pants as she tried to regain some semblance of conscious thought. Then all at once, she realized what she had just done -- and with whom.  
Rebecca jumped off Emily so fast that she almost went sprawling backwards on her ass. Her eyes were wide and frightened as her mind ran through all of the consequences that would come after this unlikely pairing. Surely, Emily would laugh and taunt her about how needy she must have been to let Emily Frazier of all people get her off -- not to mention how easy it was to make Rebecca come with how pent up she had been for so long.  
Taking the preemptive strike Rebecca averted her eyes and backed away slowly to the door. "I-I'll just go now..."  
Emily didn't laugh or yell or taunt Rebecca though. In fact, she spoke one word very quietly and that was all. It was so surprising that it drew Rebecca's eyes back up to the blonde as if on command.

"Becca."  
"Uh-huh?" Rebecca uttered in an almost soundless way.  
Emily lifted her finger and made a motion for Rebecca to come back over to her slowly, her green eyes never leaving Rebecca's wide brown ones. Rebecca felt her feet move and forced herself to swallow the hard lump in her throat. She had no idea what Emily's intention was, but they way she was acting wasn't how Rebecca expected at all -- and that scared her more than anything did.

"I'm not quite sure where you think you're running off to," Emily said, still using that soft -- almost kind -- voice.  
Rebecca shrugged, standing right in front of her boss now. With one finger Emily forced Rebecca's chin up to face her and drank in the girl's features. Emily chuckled lightly at the girl's cautious eyes and slid her blazer off her shoulders.  
"You know I'm the boss right?" Emily whispered and Rebecca nodded, not being able to help herself after what had just happened between them. "Then you know that you can't just leave before I remind you who's really in charge here can you?" A shake from Rebecca's head now. "Good."  
Without any further pleasantries Emily brought Rebecca's lips back to hers and kissed her with a fierce passion that wasn't present before. Rebecca's eyes slipped into the back of her head and she hit 'fuck it' in her brain. Whatever happened tonight was going to happen and she could worry about it tomorrow.  
Emily's fingers snuck under the hem of Rebecca's sweater and began to yank it up, revealing tan, toned skin. It was like fire under the brunette's skin with every little touch from Emily's fingertips and it made her desire to feel the blonde in the same way. Her fingers tried to undo the buttons of Emily's shirt but they were shaking so much that Rebecca found the endeavor near impossible. Still lingering around 'fuck it' deep in her brain and not caring one bit about the consequences, Rebecca slid her fingers under the buttons of the shirt and yanked it apart with a grunt.

Buttons exploded across the room and Emily's top fell open to reveal her pale chest. Emily pulled back from Rebecca to fix her with a look, one brow raised in question and a smirk lingering on her lips. She seemed to like this side of Rebecca's aggressive nature it would seem.  
Taking the initiative while they were separated, Rebecca whipped her sweater off and shook her long locks out. Emily bit her lip while gazing up and down the brunette's half-naked form before digging her fingers into that long mane and drawing Rebecca back in for another kiss. It was a heated battle between their tongues even before lips met, the two struggling for dominance over the other.

Emily knew who the victor would be in the end however. This was all fun and games until she kicked her real plan into action. The one where she would remind Rebecca yet again, who the boss was around here. Until then however, Emily enjoyed the fight -- it was so much more fun that way.  
Rebecca reached up and pulled the cups of Emily's bra down before palming her breasts in each of her hands. She honestly had no idea what she was actually doing, having never been with another woman before, but right now her instincts were doing a fabulous job of compensating for her. She let that burning desire inside of her -- the one that wasn't quelled even after she had made a mess all over her panties -- take charge of the situation, and boy was it doing a damn good job.  
Emily growled against Rebecca's lips and snaked a hand under the brunette's skirt to rub against her soaked panties. Rebecca shuddered at the blonde's touch and squeezed the breasts in her hands hard. Emily's touch was like pure magic to Rebecca and she wanted nothing more than to have Emily peel apart her drenched panties and drive one of those perfect fingers inside of her.

There was a completely different plan being worked up in that blonde head however. She ran a finger up Rebecca's panties one more time, pressing hard into her and causing the taller girl to groan out loudly, before she retracted her hand completely. Emily then pushed Rebecca back roughly and situated herself on the table so she was more comfortable.  
"Who's the boss?" Emily asked with a wicked grin.

Rebecca didn't even need to think about her answer. "You are."  
"Damn straight," Emily said and pulled her skirt up around her hips. "Now come show me how much you appreciate your boss."  
Rebecca had a good idea of what Emily was suggesting, but it didn't stop her nerves from finally hitting her despite everything they had already done in the heat of passion tonight. She eyed the blonde warily and chewed on her lower lip, hesitating to move forward once more. Emily stared back impatiently and Rebecca knew if she didn't make a move soon it probably wouldn't bode well for her.

With a slight sense of apprehension in her movement, Rebecca went back to Emily and dropped between her parted thighs. The unmistakable smell of Emily's arousal assaulted Rebecca's senses as soon as she approached her, but rather than turn Rebecca off from the task it made her curious. She flicked her eyes up to the blonde who still had her eyebrow quirked at Rebecca, then back down to the task that Emily had set her with.  
Rebecca reached forward, tucked her thumb and forefingers under the waistband of Emily's lacy red panties, and tugged them down her smooth pale legs. The brunette focused on the task in front of her, not noticing the irritation leave Emily's face to be replaced by a look of pure wanting. It was a moment of vulnerability for the blonde, but she composed herself just as quick to seem indifferent as she watched Rebecca run tentative fingertips soft and slow along her skin.  
After a few more moments of observing Emily's bare skin in front of her Rebecca inched closer to the blonde's core and readied herself to do something she never thought she would do in her life. She gazed at the plump, pink lips for a split second more, noticing the moisture that had collected along them in anticipation for this, before extending her tongue and tasting Emily for the first time.

Rebecca had no idea what to expect, but it wasn't what she received. There was a piece of her that vehemently protested what she was asked to do, but at the taste of Emily that piece of Rebecca shut right the hell up. It was hard to define the flavor exactly, but Emily tasted...good. Rebecca moaned against her lips and took Emily's clit in her mouth. It was a tactic that one of her ex-boyfriends had used to Rebecca's great pleasure -- and according to the moan above her, Emily's as well.  
The brunette couldn't stop the small smirk that jumped to her lips at creating such a noise in Emily. It was as if the tables had turned all of a sudden. Rebecca was firmly in control of their current engagement as of right now and she rather enjoyed making Emily jump and twitch in her arms. She particularly liked the way that Emily would utter little whines and whimpers at Rebecca's tongue work, further affirming the fact that she was a slave to the pleasure she was receiving.  
If this arrangement held up past this night, Rebecca was sure that she could come up with more than a few new tactics to drive Emily crazy. Hell, it may even improve their working relationship to some degree. Perhaps her boss just needed to get laid in order to calm the fuck down.  
Emily's clit started to swell and spasm against Rebecca's tongue and the brunette knew that she wasn't far off from coming. When Emily reached down to tangle her fingers into Rebecca's hair and pull her tight against her quivering pussy, Rebecca was positive of this fact. Emily gasped loudly and bucked her hips up into Rebecca's open mouth as she released her sticky wetness against the brunette's chin and Rebecca felt a sudden sense of pride for being the one responsible for Emily's orgasm.  
Despite it being her first time, Rebecca had done a damn good job and she knew it -- she was a quick learner after all.  
"Oh, shit," Emily mumbled and her grip slackened in Rebecca's hair.

Rebecca took this as the sign that she could finally lean back from Emily and so she did. Her pride increased tenfold when she saw the dreamy, faraway look plastered across the blonde's face and she herself grinned at the sight. It caused the heat in her loins to pick up once more as well, but that was something Rebecca tried her best to ignore. After all, they were even now and everything could go back to whatever normal preceded this crazy, impromptu event.  
At least that's what Rebecca thought. Emily still had other plans for the sexy brunette who was standing up and brushing her skirt off now that her task was done. Emily cocked her head to the side and watched Rebecca intently while licking her lips.

"C'mere," Emily commanded. Her voice was raspy after the string of moans that had escaped her throat during Rebecca's ministrations. There was something all together appealing about that to Rebecca however.  
Rebecca turned to Emily with that small smirk still playing across her features. Emily felt determined to wipe it off her face before the night was through. The blonde wanted to see a completely different look across Rebecca's face -- one that had her eyes shut tight with furrowed brows and a mouth that was dangling open from the incessant moans that flew past her lips. Emily licked her lips again, yes that was something she needed to see tonight.  
Emily slid off the table and grabbed Rebecca unceremoniously around the waist to put the girl in the position she had been sitting in for the last hour or so. Rebecca's grin widened a fraction, feeling like she might be getting a bit more reciprocation than she expected. Something told the brunette that Emily would be very good at reciprocating if she was inclined to -- and Rebecca sure as hell hoped that she had done a good enough job for a little bit of that.  
She was not disappointed.

Unlike Rebecca, Emily wasn't apprehensive or coy in her actions. She situated herself directly between Rebecca's thighs and flipped the brunette's skirt up before slipping her fingers against the panties in front of her once again. With a grin, Emily nudged Rebecca's panties to the side and slid one finger right into Rebecca's wet and wanting channel.  
Rebecca threw her head back and moaned. "Oh God, yes."  
She had wanted this stimulation since Emily had first teased her earlier. Emily drove the digit into her hard and fast, not taking any time to warm her up with niceties. This was completely okay with Rebecca by all accounts.

Sensing that she wanted even more, Emily slid another finger into Rebecca and the girl let out a long moan and circled her arms around Emily's neck. All shame had been thrown far to the wayside for Rebecca and as such, she had no problem bucking into Emily's fingers for all she was worth and moaning loudly at the wonderful sensations they caused her. If Rebecca had it her way, this ride would never end.  
"Pull your panties aside," Emily muttered and Rebecca did as she was told immediately. Whatever Emily had planned for her, Rebecca wanted a part of it.  
Emily held two fingers up to Rebecca's mouth and ran them along the lower lip, asking for entrance. Taking the hint, Rebecca opened her mouth and sucked those fingers in greedily before running her tongue all along the digits. Just as quickly as Emily had put them in, she removed them from Rebecca's mouth to travel down to the brunette's engorged clit.

Rebecca panted at the incredible sensation of having two of Emily's fingers inside of her and the other two working tight circles around her clit. She was so stimulated she thought she might just explode at any moment. Emily gazed down at the girl who was a stuttering, trembling mess already and grinned. This was a delicious sight to behold for the bossy little blonde.  
"Do you like that?" Emily asked Rebecca in a husky voice.  
"Yeah. Oh yeah," Rebecca affirmed.  
Emily grinned wider. Of course she did. "You want me to make you come?"  
"Uh-huh," Rebecca whimpered.  
"So you would be really upset if I..." Emily's words trailed off as her fingers began to slip out of Rebecca slowly.  
"No!" Rebecca hollered and scooted closer to Emily, forcing those fingers back inside of her.  
Emily found this quite humorous and did nothing to hide it, chuckling softly at Rebecca's eager behavior. "I guess you kind of need me right now don't you?"  
"Yes! Yes!" Rebecca said quickly, her eyes going wide. "I need you Emily! I need you so fucking bad!"  
"Mmm, of course you do," Emily muttered, her digits driving into Rebecca once more. For a quick moment, she considered being completely sadistic and just leaving Rebecca there on the brink. However, Emily knew she was much better than Rebecca was -- as they had both concluded earlier -- and so she would give the brunette what she really wanted. She was gracious after all, and Rebecca would be grateful for it later.  
Emily would make sure of it.

"God don't stop. Please. Oh, fuck," Rebecca babbled, throwing her head back so far that the cords in her neck nearly popped out.  
Emily could feel the girl's insides clamping around her fingers and knew the brunette would come soon. She wanted to see it and feel it and smell it permeate the room. She wanted to own that come and she wanted Rebecca to know that it was hers. Because Emily was kind enough to give it to her, even though she didn't deserve it.  
Rebecca's ass lifted off the table and she pulled herself tight to Emily's front when the orgasm finally hit. Every muscle in the brunette's body went taut and Emily could just barely see Rebecca quiver all over while the girl's pussy contracted hard around her fingers. Then out of Rebecca's mouth came the most beautiful noise that Emily had ever heard. A soft, low moan that lingered in the air in such an erotic way that Emily was sure she would come again just hearing it.

As Emily stared down at Rebecca, the contempt for the girl left her body. She pulled her fingers from Rebecca and turned away quickly, not liking the sudden feeling of closeness for the tall brunette. If she didn't have her hate for Rebecca Knox, then she had nothing, and Emily couldn't stand the thought of that. So instead of doing something even halfway decent, she picked up her blazer from the ground and slipped it back on before turning around with a face that was composed once more.  
"Make sure to clean this shit up before you lock up," Emily sneered and did the buttons up on her jacket.

She would at least be decent enough to go back outside now. Of course, if Rebecca hadn't done a number on her shirt there wouldn't be any reason to worry about the blazer at all. However, Emily did have to admit that the girl's forceful nature was a turn on -- just not aloud.  
With a quick glance between them, Emily left the room and Rebecca was left sitting on the table to watch her walk away. The brunette looked around the room at the mess of papers and scattered buttons everywhere and then back to the door where Emily had just left her as if nothing had happened. Emily's behavior was confusing to say the very least.  
"What the actual fuck?" Rebecca muttered to herself and lay back on the table.

After she had collected herself from the intense orgasm, Rebecca hopped off the table and put her sweater back on before picking up the room as she had been instructed. On one side, Rebecca wanted to tell Emily to fuck off and do it herself, but she was also quite thankful for the incredible experience Emily had given her, even if it was highly unforeseen. Then again, it was sort of Rebecca's fault for kissing Emily in the first place -- if that wouldn't have happened, none of this would have.

Rebecca left the building intending to head straight home after the crazy escapades of the night but the last person she expected to see was leaning against the wall outside and it intrigued her to stay. She figured Emily would be long gone by now, but here she was, smoking a cigarette and staring up at the moon with a contemplative look. Rebecca silently watched her for a moment, wondering if she should just walk away or attempt to start a conversation with the shorter girl. In all truth, Rebecca wanted to do neither -- she just wanted to keep staring at Emily.

After many silent seconds passed between them, Emily turned, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her purse and presented it to Rebecca. The brunette was hesitant to take the blonde up on the offer at first -- she hadn't smoked in over three years now -- but eventually she caved and pulled a cigarette from the pack. Emily was kind enough to light it up for her even.  
Rebecca drew a long drag from the cig and exhaled it in a large puff. She had forgotten how good a cigarette tasted after really good sex. Sure, it was a terrible habit and it would probably end up killing her, but it felt damn good.  
The two of them stood outside of the Zendex building and silently smoked, neither one wanting to talk about what had just transpired. Rebecca was pretty sure that Emily wasn't intending on firing her anymore. At least not until things got weird between the two or until Emily got tired of her. That was some comfort to Rebecca's mind at least.  
Emily took one last drag from her cigarette and dropped it on the cement before snuffing it out with her heel. Rebecca was sure she would just walk off and leave her there and that would be the last she saw Emily for the night. However, the blonde turned to Rebecca and surprised her by speaking.  
"So, I'll see you Monday?"

If Rebecca were being honest with herself, she would say that Emily actually sounded a bit hopeful, but she played it off as if it was just a trick of the ear. "Yeah, of course. Same time as usual."  
Emily nodded and without another word, turned on her heel and strutted off. Rebecca couldn't help the small smile that graced her face as she took another puff off her smoke and watched Emily's hips sway in her retreat. Rebecca was sure that somehow, through the crazy circumstances of the night, she had finally found job satisfaction.  
Branson High -- Sophomore Year: Rebecca Knox

After clawing to the top all through freshman year, the glory was to be mine and mine alone. No longer was I just in charge of the J.V. squad, now I had real power. Varsity. There were senior girls I could boss around on the squad now -- and they had to listen to my every word.  
Coach Aldrich seemed more than happy to give me the privilege of leading the Varsity squad as soon as I started my sophomore year at Branson High. She was well aware of my ambition, my cunning and my utter ruthlessness. It was probably endearing to her in some strange and sick way, but that was a small concern to me. I had what I wanted and nothing beyond that really mattered.

Well, there was a single thing. Something that had become my favorite hobby from the previous year -- Torturing one Emily Frazier. It had been such a fun game to come up with new and creative ways to get to the girl. By the end of the year, it had become less about payback and more about the sport of it all.  
Not long after I started taking the game seriously did the rest of the girls on the Junior Varsity squad join in on my fun. Sure, they were all good at ruining Frazier's life on a daily basis, but no one was as good at it as I was. If messing with Emily Frazier was an Olympic sport then I would be a gold medalist many times over. In fact, I would be a fucking hero that other athletes in the sport looked up to. I had a knack for always finding that one thing that really got under the girl's skin and dammit, I was proud of my accomplishments.  
I almost wanted to thank Frazier actually. If it wasn't for her, I don't think Coach would have noticed just how conniving I could be when I wanted to get things done. The way I could organize my crew in perfect harmony to exact each of my harebrained schemes against the girl. The creative new ways that I found to strike the nail home against her as hard as possible. More than anything though, the absolute respect I garnered from the student body for fear of being my next target.  
Oh yes, life was grand.

This was a new year though and I was a bigger and badder threat this time around. This meant that my tactics had to be stepped up a notch. I couldn't just be content with writing hurtful things on Frazier's social media pages or hiding her personal belongings throughout the school -- I had to find ways to humiliate her that were more public. Something that was more creative and ingenious than I had previously done before.  
I finally figured out what my next plan was going to be during the first practice of the season. Watching the girls do their routine -- flipping around and spelling out phrases with the loud and boisterous enthusiasm of a typical cheerleader -- lit a wonderful light bulb above my head. It really was a terribly, awful idea but I could already see that the pay off would be well worth it.

The only obstacle that stood in my way was getting Coach Aldrich to go along with my plan. Or if nothing else, at least to agree to let me do it without getting in the way. She didn't need to be involved per se, but I had to be assured that if I pulled my little stunt that she wouldn't boot me off the team. Not even humiliating Emily Frazier was worth losing my cheerleading status.  
I knew that it might take some convincing to use the Coach's precious squad for a prank, so I went in with a long list of reasons for letting me do said prank before I even approached her. Just as I thought, she was more than apprehensive; she was vehemently against my idea. However, I wasn't one to be deterred by a single rejection and she knew it.  
"C'mon Coach! It would be hilarious! Besides, you told me that you liked how devious I got in my crazy plans. This is just one step further than what I pulled last year," I argued while following her into her office after the practice.

"Look Knox, I like a good joke as much as the next person," Aldrich said and sat behind her desk to look me square in the eyes. "But if my girls go out there and personally attack a student then I'll be the one that gets the heat. No joke -- I don't care how funny it is -- is worth my reputation. Are we understood?"  
I chewed on my lip and thought about what she was telling me -- what she was really trying to tell me. Sure, my cheerleading status wasn't up for grabs when it came to my game with Frazier, but I could probably settle for taking a hit somewhere else in my life -- specifically with my parents. Was it worth it though? You're damn right it was.  
"How about this?" I began, speaking very slowly as I laid out my proposition in order to avoid any pitfalls that I may catch myself in with my words. "What if I take the fall? Let's say I go through with this and Principal Roberts comes down on us, I'll take full responsibility for whatever he dishes out. However, I have to be assured that my place on the squad won't be jeopardized. I don't want to lose my status as captain anymore than you want to lose your reputation."  
Aldrich peered over her steepled fingers to stare at me for a long moment. I held my back straight and stared her down, unwavering in my determination. Eventually she sat back in her chair and a wide smile appeared on her face.

"You may be a bit young, but this is exactly why I promoted you Knox. Your tenacity is truly something to be appreciated. There's not a girl on my squad that has your determination to get what she wants," Aldrich said in a commending tone, her voice truly honest to her words. "I don't know what the hell your issue is with this Frazier girl, but if you have to teach the loser a lesson then so be it. The affairs of the student body are none of my concern."  
"Wonderful," I said.

I appreciated Coach for the same reason she liked me. We both knew that getting ahead in the world meant that you had to be a bitch sometimes. She was quite the role model in that manner.  
"When did you plan on pulling your little stunt?" Aldrich asked.  
My evil grin spread across my face and I had to stop myself from laughing maniacally as the second thought to my awful plan sprung to mind. "Homecoming."  
Homecoming was a big deal to any school, but for Branson it was a huge event. The Homecoming football game was when our Bulldogs played their fierce rival -- the Northway Wildcats. Not only would the whole school attend, but half the town was likely to show up as well. Even the people that weren't big on local sports showed up for the Homecoming game between Branson and Northway.  
It was generally littered with plenty of trash talking and excitement on both sides. As such, no one really wanted to miss the event. You could always expect a crazy story the day after the Homecoming game. Whether it was one side stealing the other's mascot or coming up with a creative way to shame the other school, the show was always worth the few bucks that admission asked.

There wouldn't be another game throughout the year that garnered as much local attention as the Homecoming game. Hence why it was the perfect setting for my devious plan. As I stood in front of the coach, I was already concocting the perfect way I would execute it.  
"One more thing about this Knox," Aldrich said, pulling me out of my fantasy world.  
I sat up to attention once more. "Yes, Coach?"  
"You girls want to plan this, fine, but it will not cut into my practice time. You can organize your little prank on your own hours."  
That wouldn't be a problem whatsoever. "Of course, Coach."  
"Good. Now get out of here."

It didn't take me long to find my friends on the squad and fill them in on my Homecoming plans. Just as I guessed, they were completely up for what I had in mind -- even if it did mean we would be putting in a little extra work at the end of it all. Sometimes you just had to give a bit more for the big payoffs.  
So, for the next four weeks my girls and I would stay after practice for an extra hour to work on the perfect cheer to surprise everyone with at the halftime show of the big game. It would be something to remember, there was no denying that at all. In fact, I was actually very proud of myself for coming up with the idea and if it were executed well I would live in infamy for quite some time.

When the day of the big game finally came, it was a wonderful turn out. Almost every single seat in the house was packed from high school kids to parents and a random assortment of adults. That was good enough, but to make matters even more wonderful then I could ever plan for, one Emily Frazier was in attendance. My mouth began to salivate at this incredible opportunity for her to hear the insult firsthand and not just from a third party in the coming days and weeks.  
I was absolutely giddy as me and the girls went through our planned routines throughout the game. It was even better to know that our team was winning the fight against the Wildcats, so I had a reason to have such a wide and bright smile plastered on my face the whole time. There was sure to be some suspicions if the squad and I seemed so happy while we were losing spectacularly after all.

When halftime finally hit and the Branson Bulldogs jogged down one side of the field in their purple and white uniforms and the Northway Wildcats on the other in their black and blue attire, I readied myself for the big moment that was a month in the planning. I caught sight of Emily Frazier once more and she had the nerve to smile at me before the squad started cheering. Perhaps she thought I was done targeting her from my lack of attacks since school started.  
Oh, how wrong she was.

I nodded to my left and right and the girls jumped into the formation we had worked on and then began our insulting cheer to the girl in the stands. Never once did my eyes leave hers. I had to watch as her partial grin faded in realization of what we were saying. Of course, mine just grew and grew.  
"F is for freak! R is for repulsive! A is for abnormal! Z is for zero! I is for inept! E is for egghead! R is for reject! What's that spell? Frazier! Frazier! She's our loser, Frazier!"  
I couldn't have been more proud of the enthusiasm and perfection that my team displayed throughout the cheer. Not even the pointed look I got from the principal that told me I would be sitting out of the second half of the game could erase that wide and devilish smile off my face as I watched Emily Frazier run from the stands in humiliation and horror. It was worth every second of the extra practice.

Just as I expected, I found myself sitting in the Principal's office after the cheer had concluded with Coach Aldrich at my side. She played the outraged teacher perfectly, stating that I had come up with the scheme on my own and knew nothing of the prank that the girls and I had pulled. She was right about that at least, we had done all of our practices in secret and Aldrich had no idea what was going to happen when the big moment actually came. It made it that much better for it to be a surprise though.  
"I have no choice but to suspend you for three days Ms. Knox and you'll also be asked to sit out of the next home game," Roberts said without much enthusiasm for my punishment. It was clear from the look on his tired face that he had seen a lot of shit pulled in his day and while this wasn't okay in his book by any means, it wasn't new either. I would have to try harder next time.

I looked up to the coach and raised my eyebrows. I wasn't being kicked off the team, but I also wouldn't stand by and let my squad cheer without their captain. No way was that going to fly with Aldrich either.  
"Now hold on there Jack," Aldrich said, holding her hands up. "You can suspend the girl for her behavior, but whether she cheers or not isn't in your jurisdiction. Her motives may have been wrong, but she did come up with the plan on her own andexecuted it perfectly if I do say so myself. You can't rightfully discipline her for being a good cheerleader by taking away the very thing she excels at and I won't stand by and let you."  
Principal Roberts sighed, clearly not wanting to get into things with Aldrich at all tonight. "Fine. But if she pulls a stunt like this again, I will bench her for the rest of the season whether you like it or not."

Aldrich looked at me and I shrugged. I had completed my grand scheme. No need to do the same trick twice. That just wasn't my style.  
"Fair enough," Aldrich said and pulled me up from the chair by my collar in a show of disappointment that was completely for Roberts' sake.  
"Well, was it worth it?" Coach asked me when we were far enough away from the Principal's office.  
"Every second," I replied simply, my smile returning now that I was done playing the wounded puppy in front of my principal.  
"I gotta admit that was pretty clever wordplay. Classic, but executed in your typical cut throat style Knox."  
"I'll take that as a compliment."

"As you should," Aldrich said curtly. "I'll see you on Thursday. Oh, and you better expect to run suicides after practice to make up for the three days that you're gonna miss because of this stunt."  
"Sure thing Coach," I muttered as we parted ways.  
When I came back to school, I found out from one of my cohorts that Frazier hadn't had the guts to show her face since the game. The verbal assault and grounding I had received from my parents, along with the three days I had missed from school and all the extra practice Coach Aldrich had set me with seemed like a welcome reward for this wondrous news. Frazier would definitely think twice before thinking I threw the white towel in about anything so easily.  
+  
What an excellent way to start the sophomore year.


	4. Beautiful lie

Rebecca found herself sitting in Evie's living room the day after her incident with Emily. It was a bit of an awkward visit seeing how the two were still on sort of rocky grounds following their semi-fight at the Stanton's. She didn't know where else to go but to her best friend, however she was also scared shitless about bringing up the topic at all.  
So there they sat in silence.

Evie was nice enough to invite Rebecca inside her apartment and offer her a cup of coffee, but beyond that they had barely said two words to each other. Rebecca was unsure on broaching the subject rattling around in her head and Evie was just being stubborn and refusing to say anything until Rebecca broke the ice. After the silence had finally got under her skin to the point of being uncomfortable, Rebecca decided to take a different tactic then just spilling what was on her mind -- small talk.  
"So, uh, how's school going?" Rebecca asked.

"Meh. Same old shit, different day. You know?" The redhead shrugged and picked up a magazine from the coffee table in front of her.  
"I wouldn't actually. Never went to college," Rebecca reminded her friend.  
Evie found some humor in this comment. "Well it's not much different than high school in a lot of ways. A little less cliquey I suppose, but the professors are still out to make you look like a goddamn idiot whenever and however they can. Probably just jealous that most of us will go on to do something meaningful and they're stuck in limbo for the rest of their lives."

Rebecca was thankful that Evie could be reasonable and put their shit aside to be good friends still. They didn't always have to agree on everything after all. Although, she didn't fault Evie for her opinion in regards to their last fight whatsoever -- as much as Rebecca refused to admit it, the girl did have some points.  
"Most likely," Rebecca chuckled. "Although the working class stiffs like me aren't faring much better."  
"Speaking of which, is Emily still slave driving you? I kind of figured you came to tell me that I've been right all along and you're better off somewhere else," Evie said casually while she continued to flip through the magazine without much regard.

A thick silence filled the room at Emily's name. Rebecca swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat because of it and trained her eyes to the ground instead of on her friend. Evie tossed the magazine on her coffee table and gazed at Rebecca with speculation, wondering just what that evil blonde devil had done to her now.  
When the silence had stretched on longer than Evie's liking she spoke slowly, "Bec? Is everything all right?"  
"I slept with her," Rebecca finally mumbled out.  
"You...you what?"  
"I slept with her Evie. We had sex," Rebecca stammered and ran a shaky hand through her long brown locks. "I had sex with Emily Frazier."  
Evie's eyes went wide and she stood from her spot on the couch, "You can keep saying it, but it's not gonna make me understand any better!" Evie nearly shouted. Rebecca's words had caught her so far off guard she didn't even know what to say for once in her life. "How could...why would...you do such a thing?"  
Rebecca could tell that her friend's voice was rising out of sheer shock and not anger, but it didn't stop her from cowering away from the noise as it bounced off the walls of the tiny apartment. She was having the exact opposite reaction than Evie however. Rebecca's voice seemed to get quieter as she spoke.  
"I don't know. One second we were yelling in each other's face and the next second I was grinding against her. Before I could even grasp what was going on, I was between her legs and-"  
"No! Stop!" Evie yelled and put her hands up in protest. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling because she could not look at her friend right now. "For God's sake, do NOT finish that sentence."

"Sorry." Rebecca muttered and twirled a lock of her hair between her fingertips and stared at the floor once more.  
Evie took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed and collected her thoughts from everything Rebecca had just told her. She began to pace unconsciously, trying her best to erase the mental image that had sprung to mind from Rebecca's description of her impromptu tryst with Emily. After a few moments of silence between them, Evie finally found the strength to look at Rebecca once more.

"Explain something to me please, because I think that I'm a little confused," Evie said very calmly, which was so unlike her nature. It was almost frightening actually. At least in comparison to her screaming at the top of her lungs. "Since when have you been gay?"  
Rebecca uttered a strangled chuckle that made her sound a bit insane. "That's the thing, I'm not!"  
"Well you must be if you slept with Emily Frazier!" Loud Evie was back. This was a strange comfort to Rebecca.  
"Like I said, I don't know what happened," Rebecca muttered and looked away again. She was having the hardest time meeting Evie's eyes right now.  
Evie sighed. "That's one serious case of repression you've got then kid."  
"You are aware that we're the same age right?" Rebecca said indignantly.

Evie ignored this fact and moved on. "So what are you going to do? I mean, you can't really be thinking of going back."  
"I don't see why not," Rebecca shrugged. "It's not like it really meant anything."  
"So that's a good excuse to continue working for someone that forced you to have sex with her?" Evie asked heatedly.  
Rebecca gnawed on her lower lip, continuing to tug on her hair and avoid Evie's eyes, "Well, actually...I kind of started it. I sort of kissed her first if we're being technical."  
"Oh sweet Jesus!" Evie cried, throwing her hands up in exasperation. She set Rebecca with a very stern look and narrowed her eyes. "And you're sure you're not gay?"  
"No!" Rebecca said and then reconsidered her words so Evie wouldn't twist them. "I mean, no, I'm not gay! It's just, I don't know, maybe I'm really hard up..."  
"You've gotta be fucking desperate if that's the tail you're chasing," Evie scoffed.

"Hey! It's not like Emily's hard to look at. I mean she's actually pretty cute when you think about. Maybe even," Rebecca frowned and realized she didn't want to complete that sentence. Especially not in Evie's presence. "You know what? Never mind."  
The redhead raised a finger. "Okay first off, I meant that the girl is the devil. It had nothing to do with her looks. Second off," Evie continued raising a second finger now, "are you seriously defending her?"  
Rebecca shrugged and Evie walked over and rapped her friend's skull with a fist three times. "Are you still in there Rebecca? Or did that she bitch possess you and turn you into one of her demon minions?"  
Rebecca pushed her friend's hand away before setting her with an annoyed look. "Knock it off! I'm not possessed!"  
"Are you sure? Cause you're talking and acting like a damn psychopath and personally I would feel much more comfortable hearing that your soul has been taken over rather than know that you've completely lost your shit finally," Evie declared with a hand on her hip now.  
"Look, let's just...just drop it. Okay?" Rebecca pleaded with the redhead.

Evie stared at Rebecca for a long moment with a hard gaze and then with a sigh her look turned into one of concern. "Be careful. I know that I don't understand everything that's going on here, but I don't have to be an idiot to know that you and Emily are like oil and water. You just don't mix."  
Rebecca nodded, knowing that she should heed Evie's words. However, in the back of her mind she was still thinking about the previous night with the little blonde. It made Rebecca wonder if Emily felt the same way she did the more it rolled around in her head.  
So with Evie under the assumption that she had gotten through to her friend and feeling better because of it, Rebecca headed home. The entire way back she day dreamed about her next encounter with Emily and how she would react, what she would wear, the things she would say and say on. Rebecca didn't even notice the weird looks that the people on street were giving her because of her dazed look and goofy smile. Even if she had, there was no way that she was going to care enough to be concerned.  
Rebecca was too busy being stuck in her own little world to care.  
***  
It was anyone's guess what was going to happen that Monday when nine rolled around and Rebecca made her way into the office. Rebecca had some mild hopes that it would at least be a little better around Emily now that she had seen how well the two of them could really work together, but beyond that even the brunette had no idea how she should expect her boss to approach her. Whatever she was expecting wasn't what she received however.

Emily seemed more agreeable by the small smile she wore upon entering the building that morning, but the blonde still stuck her nose up to Rebecca on her way in and out of the office. She acted as if Rebecca didn't even exist. At least until she requested the brunette's audience just after eleven.  
Rebecca knew that whatever Emily was going to ask of her would probably make her late for her lunch hour and then it would be a mad scramble to grab a bite to eat and still make it back on time. Of course, this was the least of Rebecca's worries. She was more concerned of what Emily would ask of her when it was just the two of them again -- the brunette was also a little nervous about being in the confined space of Emily's office after the events that took place last Friday.  
With a deep breath that was reminiscent of her first time walking into the office, Rebecca opened the door and stood in front of Emily's desk expectantly. She waited with all the nervous energy in the world flowing through her as the blonde flipped through a few pages in front of her. Even through the jitters that Rebecca felt, she noticed that the folder that Emily held was the same one she had requested before their fight broke out last week.

"Ah, good," Emily muttered, closing the folder finally to look at Rebecca. "I need you to file these away for me. I'm already late enough for my meeting as it is."  
Rebecca was a bit put off by the amount of disinterest that coated Emily's voice as she spoke, but took the folder from the blonde with a nod regardless. "Of course, Ms. Frazier."  
"We'll be pitching ideas for the billboard that's going up on Broadway and I really need to wow them," Emily continued on, making some semblance of friendly conversation to Rebecca. This was a first, and it was intriguing to the brunette in all actuality. "I was told once by a mentor that being fashionably late is a show of power, so I suppose running a bit behind won't do any harm though."  
"I'm sure it won't," Rebecca said, trying to contribute something back to Emily's show of kindness -- or at least her acceptability. The brunette was still trying to figure out if Emily was just acting civil to keep things from being weird between the two or if she was actually doing her best to turn a new leaf.  
"Glad you agree," Emily remarked with a ghost of a smile on her lips. "How do I look?"  
Rebecca had to admit that the girl looked incredible, but she was afraid to say that aloud. If Emily was trying to keep things from getting weird, the words could backfire in Rebecca's face quickly. Then again, perhaps she could figure out the blonde's motives a little more discreetly.  
"Like you're ready to wow the rest of the Board." Rebecca said with a small nod and then scrunched up her face as she keyed in on Emily's neck. "Your tie's loose though."  
This was a blatant lie. Emily's tie was as immaculate as the rest of her crisp skirt suit and she probably knew it, but she looked down regardless. Rebecca swooped forward before the shorter woman could even touch the silk tie though.

"Let me get it for you," Rebecca whispered and began to tighten the tie against Emily's throat.  
They were barely a hair's breadth away from each other -- so close that if either one wanted to they could lean forward and kiss the other without any strain. Rebecca had done this on purpose to gauge Emily's reaction to her proximity. Emily tensed up and swallowed hard at Rebecca's feather light touch to her throat and the action wasn't lost on Rebecca. She tried to contain the glee she felt for having an acute effect on Emily, but could do nothing to stop the mischievous smile that spread across her face suddenly.  
"All done," Rebecca muttered.  
The tall brunette didn't wait for Emily's response before leaving the office with the folder marked HANSON pressed firmly to her chest and a devilish smirk held firm on her features. Emily didn't realize she had been holding her breath until Rebecca's footsteps faded off into the distance. In fact, she couldn't understand why she felt so shook up from that little interaction at all. All Rebecca had done was adjust her tie, so why was she acting so nervous all of a sudden?  
It didn't bode well with Emily one bit.  
Unconsciously Emily touched her tie and began to formulate a plan to put Rebecca on edge when she returned from her meeting. After all, she couldn't just let Rebecca stroll in and try to take the upper hand after she had laid out her authority so spectacularly last Friday. That was her power dammit. Emily wasn't going to let Rebecca take what was rightfully hers by any means.  
Emily strode out of her office on her way to the seventh floor with all of the necessary documents she would need for her meeting under one arm. She let her mind go into overtime about the presentation and the speech she had prepared for this occasion -- which was down to pinpointed perfection of course. Emily strived for nothing short of perfection when it came to her work. She gave it all or she gave it nothing, there was no in between.  
The back of the blonde's brain occupied a completely different notion that had nothing to do with her career however. It was stuck on a different track, one that involved Rebecca Knox in a manner of comprising positions specifically. Emily fought the smile that bubbled up to her face as the lurid fantasies in her head danced in front of her vision on the short elevator ride up. She was as unsuccessful in that endeavor as Rebecca was.  
With a calming breath, Emily trained her smile into a confident smirk before she strode into the boardroom where the other executives were waiting for her. It appeared as though she were the last to enter the meeting, but a quick glance to the clock assured the blonde that she was no more than ten minutes late at most. Not her usual punctual self, but not so tardy that she came off as aloof and uncaring -- the perfect power balance.  
"Good afternoon gentleman, lady," Emily said in a strong, certain voice while looking around the room, before specifically nodding to the one other woman at the far left end of the table. "I'm happy you could all join me today."  
Emily garnered amiable replies from many of her colleagues, but the elderly figure who sat in the high backed chair at the head of the table -- one Brant Chamberlain -- observed the blonde more closely than the others. He watched on intently with steepled fingers and a mysterious smile, silently appreciating the way that the girl was able to command the attention of her peers so quickly while maintaining the professionalism that any business required. She was a force to be reckoned with for anyone that had eyes to see and ears to hear.  
Emily didn't notice the attention she was garnering from the old man, but instead jumped right into the proposal she had been planning for the last two weeks. Taking a small remote from the table, she went through a number of slides that showed detailed sketches of all of her ideas and the actions necessary to turn them into a reality. Zendex was still a relatively unknown player in the advertising game but Emily's tenacity was bound to put it on the map come hell or high water.  
She knew that for a fact. Emily was determined to show everyone in this room as well. Most importantly though, Chamberlain was well aware of it.  
Even though the presentation was going exactly to the letter -- just as Emily had planned -- she couldn't help the invading thoughts of Rebecca that kept jumping to mind at the most inappropriate moments. Twice already, she had to stop herself from saying the brunette's name instead of the client's and Emily was convinced she had seen the girl hanging right outside the glass door separating the boardroom from the long hallway. This level of distraction was a new aspect to Emily and she noticed how hard she had to work to keep a clear mind and not fuck up the things she was saying before she made a fool of herself.  
Damn Rebecca and her feminine wiles! The girl just had to cozy up to Emily before this meeting didn't she? She just had to fuck with Emily's good sense and fog her brain. Oh, she would show that woman when the two of them where alone together. That much was a fact!  
"And to gain the desired effect on Bec- ahem, because...because it's what our target market will be looking for," Emily finished up, while sweating bullets on that last near fuck up. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with her today?  
Regardless of her mistakes, enthusiastic nods and mutters went around the table. At her conclusion, Emily finally noticed the attention she had been receiving from Brant Chamberlain. He wore a small smile, which was paired with a slight twinkle in his eye. The look on his face was clearly pleased and Emily let out a small, covert sigh of relief. She obviously hadn't done as bad as she originally thought.  
Emily sat down and opened up the folders she had brought in with her before passing around sheaves of papers to everyone around the table. The documents held the proposition for the new billboard along with the major points Emily had covered in her presentation. The blonde waited silently, watching as the other Board members perused the papers. She felt a bolt of pride run through her every time one of them would nod or smile.

In the end, it looked like Emily's idea was a success. There was only one or two souls in the room that didn't explicitly agree with the ideas presented, but majority ruled out and they didn't care enough to contest the point anyways. Emily tried her best not to display on the outside how excited she was on the inside. There was always a fear that if she showed her true colors, life would be waiting to pull the rug out from underneath of her and knock her back down to where she belonged. This thought lead back to Rebecca again and how the brunette had taught Emily to never get excited lest the world come crashing down on you.  
Emily began to gather her things as the other Board members left the room, still considering her success today as she did. The blonde took her time in order to have a moment of reprieve before heading back down to see the damnable woman that had her so on edge -- but fate seemed to have other plans. Emily realized this as soon as she turned around to see Brant Chamberlain still waiting next to his chair smiling, clearly waiting for Emily.

This was only the second time that Emily had spoken to the CEO of Zendex one on one. The meeting hadn't made her nervous at all, but standing here in front of Chamberlain, Emily could suddenly feel all the water dry up from her mouth. The approving looks he had set her with throughout the meeting looked happy enough, but Emily was also aware that a sadistic boss had the same gaze right before they brought the hammer down on you. It was like a power trip or something -- a feeling that Emily herself knew all too well since she had become a bit of a learned sadist since becoming the boss of her own little corner of the world.  
This, of course, reminded Emily again of Rebecca. It took all she had to grit her teeth and push the stupid girl out of her mind quickly. Stupid Rebecca Knox.  
"That was a wonderful presentation," Chamberlain began without any preamble. "I truly enjoyed seeing your passion for the project and for this company."  
Emily made sure to take a breath before speaking so the noise didn't come out high or cracked. "Of course, Mr. Chamberlain. I have nothing but enthusiasm for Zendex. I can see the wonderful future that this company holds and I would love to be a part of its rise to greatness."

"Well that sure is good to hear. I need good men and women to help build Zendex Media into something great and I do believe that you're an integral part of achieving that goal." Chamberlain stroked his bushy mustache with two fingers and thoughtfully looked past Emily, before bringing his eyes back to her. "I'll admit, at first I wasn't sure about you. I've seen a fair share of ambitious souls in my time and more often then not, that arrogance is more of a hindrance than a help -- and that's if it amounts to anything more than just big talk and no action. You feel like a different case though Emily. I don't see you fizzling out anytime soon."  
"I appreciate the faith you have in me sir," Emily said. She knew it was better to listen rather than talk. In this case, it was especially smart to keep her mouth mostly shut to see where Chamberlain was taking this conversation.  
"I knew that I was sure about you after the presentation you just gave. It's been awhile since I've seen someone command a room like you did. It's a skill that can take you a long way in a business like this. My only question is how far you're willing to go in this business."  
A small grin appeared on Emily's face, betraying the cool exterior that she was trying so hard to maintain. "As far as I can."  
"Good answer," Chamberlain replied with a slight grin of his own.

Emily had been working hard to catch the eye of someone higher up so she could begin her own climb to the top, but she did her best not to think of the absolute best possible scenario from this conversation. However, there was something about this interaction that allowed her to feel a bit hopeful. Emily could tell that an opportunity was waiting right behind Chamberlain's elusive words and she was getting anxious to get to it.  
"Was there something specific you wanted to discuss with me sir? Or were you just trying to compliment me on a job well done today," Emily asked in an attempt to bait the old man a bit in order to get a clear answer from this back and forth.  
"Straight to the point, eh? A woman after my own heart," Chamberlain chuckled. "Since you asked though, I do have certain things to discuss with you in regards to your future at Zendex."  
The elderly gentleman motioned for Emily to take a seat and the blonde did as she was advised. She sat at one end of the table and he sat at the other, just as they had earlier. Suddenly this impromptu meeting held a much heavier weight for Emily.  
"If memory serves me right, this was the first project that you pitched without the help of anyone else. Completely solo, correct?" Emily nodded to the question and Chamberlain carried on. "Well, I won't keep you in suspense; you did very well in that endeavor. However, I don't want you to follow through with it until the end."  
Emily's face fell just a bit at this news. She composed herself so she wouldn't show her disappointment and continued to wait stoically for Chamberlain to get to a point. Despite saying he would get down to business, it still felt like he was beating around the bush quite a bit.  
"But don't worry, I have something else in mind for you."

Sweet little collection of girl on girl stories. Just little fantasies that pop in my naughty little head.  
Chamberlain hadn't been oblivious to the face that Emily had made, and while he liked messing around with his employees emotions every now and again -- one could never tire of the joy and disappointment that good and bad news produced respectively -- this was not one of those cases. He wanted to make sure that the little blonde sitting across from him knew that only good was on her horizon. Still, that slight moment before she expertly masked her emotions was a tad humorous to him.

"I've had a client from a big name magazine approach me recently with a pitch. They want to run a series of ads for the next six months or so in order to promote the launch of a sister magazine. Raise some interest so to speak." Chamberlain stroked his mustache again and Emily noted that he did that whenever he was deep in thought.  
"I'm listening," Emily said slowly.  
This would be an incredible opportunity to be a part of. It didn't even matter what the magazine was. All that was important was the ability to flex her creative muscles on a much bigger platform.  
"I plan to put together a team for this particular project and you're my front runner for taking point. Well, you were at least. I think I've made my final decision after what I saw today."  
"Y-You mean...me?"  
All self-control finally broke inside of Emily at this bit of news. She couldn't have guessed what today would bring for her if someone had asked this morning and now she couldn't believe what was happening. Things like this never happened to Emily -- at least not without clawing and biting her way through insurmountable odds.  
"It would be an honor to do this sir," Emily said after a painfully long pause.

"Wonderful!" Chamberlain exclaimed and slapped the table. "I'll get you the details of the project to peruse and we'll work at putting the perfect team together. I think it would be wise to get your input on who would be the best fit for this job, you don't seem like one to pick favorites after all."  
"Of course! I can't wait to get started!" Emily exclaimed. Now that the fact had finally sunk in, she couldn't help getting a little giddy.  
Chamberlain chuckled. "Great to hear. We'll touch base next week then."

Emily shot up from her seat and ran around the table to shake the old man's hand vigorously. "I promise you won't regret giving me this opportunity sir. I'll do everything I can to make this a huge success and God as my witness, we'll put Zendex on the map!"  
"I'll hold you to that Frazier. However, in your new leadership role, may I offer you a piece of advice?" Chamberlain asked and the slight twinkle was back in his eye now. "Don't be so nervous when you're giving your presentation next time. Own that confidence even if it's not authentic."

Emily wanted to tell him that she wasn't nervous, she was just trying her hardest to focus. However, if she did that, then she would end up explaining why she was distracted and not focusing on her job. Emily could only imagine the awkward conversation that would then ensue involving her crush worthy assistant -- the one she also hated from events that happened in years long past. That was a place Emily simply didn't want to tread with her boss.  
"Well this was my first time giving a very important presentation on my own," Emily said, trying to avoid lying to Chamberlain's face. "I'm sure it will go better next time, but I'll be sure to remember your advice, sir."

"I'm sure it will," Chamberlain agreed and stood from his seat to shake Emily's hand one more time. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off."  
Emily watched as the old man walked out of the room silently. As soon as the footsteps of his expensive Italian leather shoes disappeared, the blonde jumped up in celebration. This day couldn't possibly get any better.

At that thought, Emily stopped celebrating and a sly grin spread across her face. Perhaps it could get better. After all, a certain brunette had been on her mind for the last hour or so. One that could really use a lesson on when to keep her distance from Emily -- and when not to.  
With a skip in her step, Emily left the room and practically ran to the elevator on her way back to the fourth floor.  
***  
Rebecca was still quite proud of the reaction she had pulled from Emily earlier. She couldn't stop thinking about it throughout her lunch break and when she got back to get some actual work done, she whistled a happy tune and continued to imagine the red-faced blonde she had left standing in the middle of the office. It felt like quite an accomplishment actually.  
Not unlike her blonde boss, Rebecca was thinking of ways to get the other girl alone and willing to be receptive to her touch once more. Unlike Emily however, Rebecca wasn't thinking along the same lines. She was trying to be clever and witty for once, but Emily had no concern for such mind games.  
Which was something Rebecca was about to find out in a hurry

Emily came into the room with a purpose. She looked around to make sure that Rebecca and her were completely alone and then marched right up to the brunette. Rebecca looked up at the sound of Emily's footsteps and smiled at the blonde brightly. Something about Emily's eyes made Rebecca's smile falter instantly however  
"Hey, what's up?" Rebecca asked cautiously, searching Emily's face for some kind of sign of understanding.  
Without answering Rebecca's question, Emily grabbed the brunette's sleeve and tugged her to her feet. Rebecca didn't resist, but she did look on with a sense of wonder and 'what the fuck' mixed into one expression. Emily released her hold on the taller girl and walked into her office, expecting the brunette to take the hint and follow along like a good puppy dog -- Rebecca didn't disappoint.  
"Is something wrong? Did the meeting go really bad?"  
Rebecca was grasping at straws as she trailed Emily into the office. She never got any answer though. As soon as she stepped foot in the room and had the door shut behind her, Emily had her pressed against the wall.

"W-What?" Rebecca began, but Emily pressed her lips against the brunette's to shut her up before she could say anything else.  
As soon as Emily's lips pressed against Rebecca's, they were pulled away. Rebecca was left flushed with her eyelashes fluttering in confusion. Emily grinned at the sight and put her hands against the wall on either side of the other girl's shoulders. She knew that if she weren't wearing heels she would be so short that it would be impossible to appear domineering to the brunette in front of her. Emily thanked God that she had gotten into the habit of always wearing them to the office.  
"Nothing is wrong at all. Things are great -- perfect really. And while the meeting went well, I couldn't stop thinking about certain...things. In fact, it was so distracting that I almost fucked up my whole speech. Almost."  
Rebecca slowly quirked a brow up. "And what kinds of things were that?"  
Emily's grin widened and she inched her face even closer to Rebecca to stare into those big brown eyes. "I'm so glad you asked. Perhaps I should demonstrate?" Emily voice came out as no more than a husky whisper in Rebecca's face and the brunette squirmed uncomfortably under her intense gaze.  
"Okay," Rebecca whispered back.

Emily slid her thigh between Rebecca's and situated one of the brunette's between her own legs. Somehow, she moved even closer to Rebecca, erasing all space between the two. She stood there with her arms pinning the taller girl against the wall and their legs tangled up together. Rebecca's chest heaved in anticipation and she stared at Emily's lips with longing. The sensations she felt below the belt spurred her desire on to kiss Emily silly.  
"Something on your mind?" Emily asked in a teasing tone.  
"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "I want you to kiss me again."  
"Ask me nicely," Emily demanded.

The brunette licked her lips -- still staring hard at Emily's -- and spoke again. "Please? Please kiss me Emily?"  
Emily chuckled softly. "Mmm. That's more like it," she said and swooped down to meet Rebecca's lips.  
Rebecca reveled in the soft comfort of Emily's lips against hers. The brunette took notice that it wasn't just the heat of the moment that made Emily so good to her last time. Emily just felt nice against her in general. When a tongue slid against Rebecca's lips, she concluded that Emily felt really nice against her actually.  
With a moan, Rebecca rolled her hips into Emily and gripped the blonde's blazer so she was that much closer in their kiss. Emily breathed out harshly and bit at Rebecca's lips, her own hips moving of their own accord against the other girl. In no time, the two of them had found a rhythm that had both of their thighs slipping between the others in a frantic pace.

"Tell me Becca, have you ever been with a girl before me?" Emily asked, slipping her lips from Rebecca's in order to pant against the brunette's ear.  
"No." Rebecca shook her head and swallowed the lump rising in her throat thickly. "I haven't."  
"It's not as bad as you thought it would be is it?" Emily's voice took on a menacing sort of tone as she asked Rebecca this question.  
"No, it's not," Rebecca said honestly. She hadn't caught the abrupt change in Emily's voice whatsoever through her haze of lust. "It's really, really good actually."  
Emily's brief moment of anger dissipated at Rebecca's honesty. After all, she couldn't fault the girl for telling the truth, even if it did remind her briefly of a more painful time. It was important to live in the now though and the now had Emily feeling just as hot for the brunette as Rebecca was obviously feeling for her.  
"It so is," Emily hissed and brought their lips together again for a brief sloppy kiss. "Fuck."  
"Yeah, I know."  
"Just a little harder," Emily urged and brought her hands down to Rebecca's hips to grind herself into the brunette harder and faster.  
"Yes, yes! Feels so good."  
"So close now."  
"Uh, me too."  
Emily let out a low moan and pulled herself into Rebecca once more before abruptly stepping away from the tall brunette.  
"Hey! What the fuck?" Rebecca cried out.  
Her face was completely flushed and her hips were still hitching up despite the lack of friction without Emily to grind up against. The blonde grinned as she looked up and down Rebecca and her desperate plea for release. One last shiver went through her body as her own orgasm subsided and without any warning, she flipped Rebecca around so the brunette was facing the wall.  
"Don't worry. I'm not that mean," Emily murmured before she slid her hand down the front of Rebecca's loose fitting pants and slipped a finger into the girl's wet folds. "That's your territory."  
Rebecca didn't even mind the hurtful comment one bit. Emily could have said the most spiteful thing imaginable and Rebecca would have let it fly as long as Emily continued to touch her and bring her closer to that release that she absolutely needed now. It was a bit pathetic, but Rebecca could really care less. Emily had a way of turning her into a puddle of need and wanting.  
Emily was impressed that Rebecca didn't snap back at her. In fact, she was actually a bit disappointed. There was something sort of fun in the way Rebecca would get angry with her -- sexy almost. It probably had to do with the way that Emily was able to put her in her place afterward though. Perhaps she had just worked Rebecca up too quickly this time. Next time Emily would have a different strategy.  
The thought of a next time was momentarily frightening to Emily though. What was she doing? This was her lifetime nemesis. Was it really smart to be planning the next time she would fuck her senseless?  
You only live once, right? Emily's brain argued and that shut her subconscious up quick enough.  
Rebecca let out a low whimper and that drove Emily completely out of her brain altogether. She was simply going to enjoy the moment for what it was. Semantics and consequences both be damned.  
"Emmy," Rebecca whined and bucked back helplessly on Emily's fingers.  
That's new... Emily thought. She wasn't sure what surprised her more -- the fact that Rebecca had just uttered a cute nickname for her, or the fact that she actually rather liked it. Emily was sure if her high school self were here to witness this moment she would be tearing her hair out, but just like the previous uncomfortable thought, she shoved it away from her mind and simply pushed harder into Rebecca. Anyways, it was just sex right?

Suddenly the brunette went completely still, her back pressed hard against Emily's front. The blonde could feel Rebecca's insides clenching at her digits and knew that she had finally hit that peak. This was good for her, since Emily was starting to get a bit uncomfortable with all the incessant thoughts that just wouldn't go away.  
Emily waited until Rebecca came down from her high before slipping out of Rebecca and moving away in the most tactful way possible. She went to lean against the front of her desk and bit at the edge of her thumb while she watched Rebecca pant against the wall for another couple of moments. The girl had both arms outstretched and propped against the wall and her back arched as she pulled in big gulps of breath. Fuck! How was it possible for her to be so goddamn sexy all the time? The strong feeling of hate flooded back into Emily through her envy and that was a small comfort to her brain at least.  
Finally, Rebecca turned around with a head of disheveled hair and a pink face. She looked over Emily and bit her lip with a goofy sort of grin. Emily couldn't stop the quick torrent of thoughts that rushed to her brain no matter how hard she tried.

Oh, what it would be like to wake up to the head of sex hair on her. No! Stop it! Fuck! Shit! Dammit!  
"Um, you know, there's not really much to do anymore. Today, I mean," Emily stuttered out, trying to remember what she was saying as she tripped over her words. "So if you, uh, want to leave early. That is, it would be completely all right with me if you did."  
Rebecca smiled a bit wider. She had never seen Emily so inarticulate in their time together as grown adults. It was a bit endearing.  
"That sounds great," Rebecca replied, her voice low and husky.

Emily groaned internally and fought to keep her face straight. "Okay then. Good deal. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow."  
Rebecca nodded and winked before walking out the door to retrieve her things at her desk. She was more than happy to get a few extra hours to herself for the day. More importantly though, there was a fresh pack of cigarettes in her purse that were just calling out to her -- and after that tumble did she ever need one. Rebecca wasn't sure if she should be pissed at Emily or not for reintroducing the old habit, but as soon as she lit up when she was outside it didn't matter. Inhaling in the thick smoke after that orgasm was absolute euphoria.  
Branson High -- Junior Year: Emily Frazier  
I never expected the punishment to end after my moment of naivety last year. As they say, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice -- well let's just say that I wasn't planned on being fooled twice. By now, I knew exactly what kind of person Becca Knox was and I didn't expect anything less than the most depraved, hurtful and malevolent intentions from the pretty cheerleader.

It was hard not to hate her even if I wasn't her personal punching bag. She had all the good looks in the world, a horde of friends and random nobodies doing everything for her, a prime position on the food chain of this stupid, fucked up school and even a family that loved her. She had it all and I had nothing.  
As it was though, I was her favorite object to get her aggression out on and I had all the reason in the world to hate her besides the obvious. If I willed myself to see the silver lining -- which was few and far between for me -- I could at least know that no one could hate Becca more than I did. I had a special loathing for Becca Knox that no other human being would ever know. It was somewhat weird, but that insignificant fact made me feel special.

It didn't help me survive the days with Becca though. As good as it felt to hate her, it didn't assist me in getting through the long moments with the insufferable girl. Especially in this year where God saw it fit to curse me with three classes with the bitch. It was as if I couldn't get away from her for even a minute.  
Then again, they do say when He closes a door there's a window just waiting to be thrown open and that very thing happened for me in my junior year. I found a purpose that helped me get through it all. Something that could distract me from the constant taunting and torture. A reprieve from the incessant worries of Becca and her cronies running after me.  
That wonderful thing was art.  
I used to draw when I was little and of course took the typical art classes that every elementary school kid did -- but it never clicked for me then. Perhaps it was the desperation that I had to find something that made me feel good in a world of bad. Or maybe it was just my slightly older brain that was able to figure things out that my childish brain couldn't, but somehow it all clicked. I found a purpose that made my days a little brighter.

The funny thing was that I could actually blame Becca for giving me this wonderful gift. After my first day of junior year, I went to the administration office to beg for a schedule change so I wouldn't be stuck with Becca in so many classes, but there was a little that could be done. However, one of my electives, Intermediate French -- the introductory class was also shared with Becca in my sophomore year, ironically enough -- was at the same time as Intro to Art and there was a slot open still. I didn't even think twice about how little I would actually enjoy an art class; I switched without even a thought. Besides, when would I ever use French in my life?

The class was mostly about covering the basic pencil drawing styles and possibly some charcoal and oil work later on in the year and that was just fine with me since it meant I wouldn't have to work too hard to keep a good grade. After the first week, I turned in my initial assignment for the class and knew that this was where I truly belonged. The teacher was impressed with my composition and made sure to point out how much potential I had in the field. It was one of the first times in my life that I really felt like I was capable of something worthwhile and that meant more than I could ever explain to another human being -- let alone that wonderful teacher who started me on a path even I didn't know I was headed down yet.

Somehow, life became a little easier with art in my life. I sketched throughout many of my classes and found that I was still capable of tuning into the lectures while my hand would work across the page. It was especially helpful in the classes I still shared with Becca since I no longer noticed her subtle taunts when the teacher's back was turned.  
While I was drawing, I was in my own little world and it was a truly magical place. Somewhere that was rainbows and butterflies and serene quiet where I could hear myself think without the annoying voices of all the shallow minds that surrounded me constantly. It was a place where neglectful parents and stupid teenagers and most importantly, sadistic bullies didn't exist.

With the way my life had always gone, it shouldn't have been a surprise when the crack in my bright sunny sky appeared and revealed the darkness that was still lying underneath, but it still did somehow. I could block out the sound and the look of it, but I couldn't completely make it disappear no matter how hard I tried. That darkness was persistent -- and its name was Becca Knox.

I was on my way home after school one day, walking particularly slow with my nose buried in a sketchbook as was usual these days. If I would have been watching where I was going and what was going on I may have been able to notice that shewas following me, but of course I didn't. I was in my magical place. Sometimes it was more of a double-edged sword than just simply a good thing and this was one of those particular instances where this fact was true.

"Whatcha got there Frazier?" Becca asked in a mock sincere voice and snatched the pad from my hand before I even realized she was right next to me.  
I scowled at the brunette and reached for the sketchbook, but Becca held it out of reach. She was so much taller than I was that it wasn't even difficult for her to keep it away from my grabbing hands. She made sure I knew how easy it was to keep it away by mimicking a yawn as I jumped up and tried to get the book back from her.  
"Keep trying," Becca said with a laugh.

I growled in the back of my throat and shoved her shoulder as hard as I could, sending her back a few steps. She could pick on me relentlessly, but why the fuck did she have to take the one thing that actually brought me a sliver of joy? Was she was actually jealous of my drawings because it took away my attention from her ridiculous hatred for me?  
"Why do you have to be a bitch all the time?" I shouted.  
"Oh, you wound me Frazier! You think I've never been called a bitch before?" Becca laughed louder. "Try again small fry."  
I had no idea where the insult sprang from, I had never heard it once in my life but in the next moment I was sure that I called Becca something she had never been called. "God! You're such a fucking cuntasaurus rex!"

Becca's eyes flashed with rage at my words and it was possible that I crossed a limit with what I said. I could care less though. Becca had crossed many limits with me on many, many occasions. She could do with a little payback finally.  
"What did you just call me?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.  
"Are you deaf and stupid? I said you were a fucking cuntasaurus rex." Now that it was out there, I rather liked how the crazy insult flowed off my lips. Especially if it got under Becca's skin -- which it clearly did.

Becca tossed the sketchpad behind her and for a moment, I didn't care about it as the brunette squared her shoulders to me. I stood at my full height, which wasn't intimidating to the sinewy cheerleader in the least, but I would show her that she couldn't scare me with her presence. Not anymore.  
"I'm gonna make you eat those fucking words Frazier," Becca said and the next thing I knew her fist had collided with my jaw.  
It hurt like hell, there was no denying that -- and I was pretty sure she had knocked something loose in my mouth on top of it all. There was no way I would let her know that it got to me though. I wiped the back of my mouth off and spit out the blood that was seeping onto my taste buds, noticing for a quick moment that a shiny white tooth stood out among the red. Then with all the strength I could muster, I cocked my fist back and brought it down hard on her nose.  
Becca's hands flew up to her face as blood seeped out from between her fingers in a quick waterfall that flowed down to her chin. The crimson on her face had nothing on the red in her eyes after I landed that punch though. Something in the back of my mind told me I was really fucked now, but my foolish pride ignored it and instead of running, I continued to stand my ground.

"You. Are. So. Dead!" Emily roared out each word before pouncing on me like a vicious wild cat.  
My back hit the ground in a painful thud and knocked the wind right out of me, leaving me wide open for Becca to start raining down blows. I brought my arms up to my face to stop her from hitting me there, but that left my body wide open and unprotected. A part of me wanted to cry and hope that she would just leave me if I was a pathetic mess, but something else rose instead.

With a grunt, I rolled the cheerleader over and began my own assault. The surprise was clear as day on Becca's face and even if my punches weren't doing that much damage to her, that look on her face was worth every moment I got to beat on the big bully. It was a short lasted victory however. Becca threw me off her body and stood up with a heaving breath. I could see that she wanted to tear me limb from limb. Perhaps she even would have if things went differently.  
Luck was on my side for a moment when an old man came out on the street and started yelling at us to stop fighting or he was gonna call the cops. I could see the flash of debate across Becca's features -- kill the nerd or risk her reputation. As was expected, her reputation was more important than my life.  
This didn't stop her from getting one good kick into my side before she picked up the sketchpad and said loud enough for me to hear over the ringing in my ears. "I'm keeping this, do you fucking hear me?"  
"Ugh," I groaned.

Becca looked back at the old man who had just retreated into his house -- presumably to get a phone to carry out his threat -- before she looked back to me and spit on the ground near my face. I wasn't sure if she was aiming for me or just trying to make a statement but I didn't really care. I was just happy to watch her retreating figure walk down the street.  
As much as my body ached and I felt like shit, there was something almost triumphant about the encounter. I had stood my ground for once. I had made the invincible Becca Knox bleed. I couldn't wait to hear how she explained that off to her stupid fucking friends the next day. Just the thought of it made me giggle a little manically.  
+  
If nothing else, I learned one thing for sure during the experience; I wasn't ever going to walk around without paying attention ever again.


	5. Life in a bubble I blew

Things in the office became interesting over the following weeks. Rebecca and Emily both silently agreed to a game of cat and mouse in their own respective ways, which created an unusual aura for anyone around them. Most days the sexual tension around the two was so thick it could be cut with a knife.  
Emily looked for any excuse she could find to get Rebecca in compromising positions for her special viewing pleasure. Sometimes it was getting her to bend over to pick up a discarded pen or to file some papers away in order for Emily to check out her ass. Other times it was getting the brunette to reach up high to retrieve things that Emily couldn't reach to give the blonde an excuse to look up Rebecca's shirt. Either way Emily was winning.

Rebecca had her own tactics to the game, which were much different from the blonde's. More subtle and decidedly more effective against Emily in the long run of things than the moves what was used against Rebecca. These included batting her eyelashes and biting her lip from across the room, grazing against Emily whenever she had even the smallest opportunity and perhaps the most effective, finding reasons to be close enough to talk to her boss in a low voice that sent noticeable shivers down Emily's back. Rebecca prided herself in these simple acts and how effective they were -- especially since her whole life had been devoted to much less subtlety to get her way.  
One of the other changes was how Rebecca now addressed the blonde. Amongst prying ears, Emily was still Ms. Frazier but when it was just the two of them Rebecca preferred to refer to her boss as Emmy -- and while she would never willingly admit it, Emily preferred it as well. Rebecca liked the way Emily's face would break into an adorable grin whenever she heard the nickname and so she had no intention to stop using it using it anytime soon.

Out of all the tactics that Rebecca employed to her side of the game, the 'Emmy' strategy was easily the most powerful when it came to getting her way. It didn't work all the time, but at the right place, in the right setting, with the right amount of stress surrounding Emily, it worked like a charm. Rebecca had become an expert at pulling out a well-timed Emmy and had no problem using it to its full advantage. It was like casting a spell on the girl really. Instantly Emily would go from moody and huffy to dreamy and full of smiles.  
Then again, it was possible that Emily's change of mood had less to do with Rebecca. Even in her most stressed out state, Emily had been in a much better mood lately. She had more team meetings for the new project and it seemed like Emily couldn't stop gushing over it at every chance even when the two were alone together. It was almost as if a new life was being breathed into the blonde.

Rebecca knew that the project contributed to the blonde's change in attitude of late -- and she didn't deny how much Emily deserved this big break and that she was indeed happy for the girl as well -- she also wasn't willing to give up the complete change to Emily's new progression to her work. Rebecca liked to think that she was the catalyst to the change. Without her making the first move in the office that night, Emily wouldn't have started to loosen up a little and thus find more success than the blonde had already accomplished on her own. This was how Rebecca fed her ego at least -- and it was a very hungry ego.

Still, Rebecca wasn't blind and so she began to observe Emily more when she could. She watched as the blonde interacted with others, laughing and smiling in a way that was truly authentic -- not the usual tight-lipped smile and awkward chuckle Emily had been so famous of using before. Rebecca also noticed that Emily would lightly touch one of her colleagues arms while they spoke, cementing that fact that she was indeed human and not some super being that was above everyone else. It was curious seeing these changes in the girl that was hard as stone just a few weeks prior.

When Rebecca had moments to herself, she would mentally calculate these differences and try to determine what they meant to Emily's character -- when they began and what correspondence they had to her. It was becoming a bit obsessive actually and Rebecca couldn't for the life of her figure out why it was so important. It wasn't as if she had any connection to Emily outside of this building and their occasional passionate trysts. It shouldn't matter at all.  
But it did.  
Mostly because there was something familiar to Emily's old patterns that were being peeled away one by one. That hard stoic nature, the inability to accept anything but perfection, the lack of empathy for anyone or anything, it was all so similar to the old life Rebecca had led. So strikingly familiar actually, that when Rebecca finally figured it out it almost knocked the wind out of her for an entire day.

Emily -- the old Emily that Rebecca had originally been hired by -- was a spitting image to Rebecca's past persona, Becca Knox. She didn't want to admit it at first, thinking that the girl was just trying to act like a hard ass professional, but she knew these were just excuses. After all, hadn't Rebecca thought of herself in Emily's office during their huge fight when Emily was using tactics that mirrored her old self -- that ruthless cheerleader who cared naught for who she hurt?  
This began Rebecca down a completely different path of observations and questioning. Why and when had Emily started channeling that Becca attitude for one? Was it on purpose or did it just come from being in a cutthroat environment and the blonde grasping the one persona that she knew -- from experience -- took no prisoners.  
More importantly, if Emily was acting like 'Becca' in order to be hard and unyielding, than who was this new person that Rebecca was seeing? Was this light, personable and charming woman the real Emily Frazier? The woman that Rebecca never took the time -- and never cared enough -- to get to know? If so, then Rebecca had truly been missing out on something special for years.

Rebecca needed answers and she only knew one way to get them -- through the blunt and direct approach.  
The brunette knocked on Emily's door and walked in without an answer from the blonde. Emily didn't look up to Rebecca's face, but she smiled a bit hearing the girl's footsteps enter the room. Rebecca was the only one brash enough to come pounding into the office without any summons, but even if that weren't the case, Emily knew there was only one person who could belong to those long legs striding up to her.

Rebecca put her hands on the desk and leaned forward to set her boss with a look. Emily looked up finally to meet the brunette's fiery brown eyes before casting her gaze a little lower. She couldn't stop herself really, not with the pink lace that was just barely showing from under Rebecca's shirt.  
"There's something I need to ask you about. Lately I've notice-" Rebecca stopped mid sentence when she noticed where Emily's attention was drawn. She couldn't really fault the blonde when her cleavage was on full display at the current angle. "Emmy, my eyes are up here."  
Emily looked up quickly and smiled to show that she was all ears. "What were you saying?"  
Rebecca grinned and stood up straighter before crossing her arms across her chest to make sure she had the blonde's full focus. "I was thanking you for the week of paid leave you were just about to sign off on."

"I wasn't that distracted. Nice try though," Emily chuckled. "Now seriously, what did you need to say?"  
The brunette cocked her head and observed Emily with utter scrutiny. Her eyes were so much brighter than they had been when the two had first reunited. She was so much more... alive.  
When did that possibly happen? And why was Rebecca so caught up in knowing? Couldn't she just enjoy this new Emily and not concern herself on the how's and why's?  
"Nothing. It's really nothing," Rebecca said with a shake of her head and a small smile. "Was there anything I could do for you while I'm here?"  
"As a matter of fact..." Emily said and licked her lips as her words trailed off.  
Rebecca didn't really need anything more than that to know what Emily had in mind. Even if she didn't know the absolute specifics of the task, she knew how it would most likely end. It was a damn shame that she never picked up a fresh pack of cigarettes on her way to get Emily's coffee this morning.  
***  
It was a monthly tradition for Rebecca to go over to the Stanton's for dinner. Rawly and Celia had been inviting Evie and Rebecca over for the past three years on a regular basis whenever the midmonth came around. It was their time to catch up on each other's lives and generally just have a good time hanging out. With all of their schedules becoming busier, especially Evie with school and Rebecca with her job -- and certain 'responsibilities' that kept the brunette in the office much later than usual -- it was one of the few times that they were guaranteed to see each other anymore.

If Rebecca was being honest with herself, she knew that she wanted to sit this dinner out though. She did miss her friends and she wanted to see them a great deal, but coming to the Stanton's also meant turning down a request that Emily had proposed earlier. Rebecca could still feel the tingling in her lower lip where she had bit it so hard in indecision that she almost drew blood. In the end, she had to shake her head slowly -- almost painfully -- in order to keep up appearances in their little group. After all, Rebecca had never turned down the prospect of free food once in the past, especially from Celia Stanton's kitchen.  
When Rebecca sat at the table with a plate heaped with steak, potatoes and roasted vegetables, she knew that she had made the right decision to come over. It wasn't like Emily wouldn't be there tomorrow anyways. Besides, the two of them had been pretty hot and heavy lately and the whole thing was becoming a bit confusing to Rebecca. Perhaps it was a good idea to opt for a little distance.

"So, how's work?" Celia asked turning to Rebecca. "It feels like you're never around anymore cause you're always so busy at the office."  
"Good. Things are going really good." Rebecca smiled amiably and stabbed a piece of broccoli before bringing it to her mouth.  
Evie quirked a brow and stared Rebecca down with clear menace in her eyes. "How 'bout your extracurricular activities Bec?"  
Rebecca swallowed hard, sending the veggie down her throat awkwardly. She grasped for the glass of water in front of her and took a big gulp to stop the coughing fit that ensued. Rebecca threw Evie a look that told her stop, but it was too late. The words were already out.

"Extracurricular activities?" Rawly asked, his face a picture of pure puzzlement. "What's she talking about Rebecca?"  
"Nothing," Rebecca muttered and averted her eyes to her plate. Suddenly the food had become extremely interesting.  
"Oh, she hasn't told you?" Evie asked with way too much enthusiasm. "She's been sleeping with her boss."  
The sudden silence in the room was palpable. All eyes turned to Rebecca and suddenly she felt like a teenager that had been caught by her parents after doing something wrong. Curiously enough, the memory of her sophomore year and being reprimanded by her actual parents after the Homecoming cheer incident flooded to Rebecca's mind instantly. The only difference was that she actually cared about what the people in the room thought of her.  
"Bec?" Rawly urged.  
Rebecca didn't say anything and this prompted Evie to go on airing the brunette's dirty laundry. "I can't believe she hasn't said anything to you two! It's been going on for like a month or two now."  
"Shut up!" Rebecca hissed and chucked her napkin across the table at her so-called best friend. Then again, the redhead was acting more like the annoying younger sibling that couldn't wait to rat out her older sister more than acting like her best friend right now.

Instead of being deterred by Rebecca's outrage, Evie was only spurred on to continue talking. "You know what's really sad? It sounds like she bottoms for that blonde bitch. Like seriously, why don't you get something out of it right? She's already fucking your life out of the sack."  
"I swear to God I will kill you if you don't shut up now Evelyn!" Rebecca said loudly and stood from the table.  
"Enough! Both of you!" Celia shouted and slammed her hands on the table hard enough to shake the silverware. She waited for a protest from either girl, but all that happened was Rebecca taking her seat once more. "Evelyn, shut your mouth," Celia said to the redhead before turning to the brunette, "Rebecca is this true?"  
Rebecca held her chin up in indignation. "So what if it is? I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."  
Evie muttered something under her breath that Rebecca didn't catch, but before the brunette could protest, Celia shot her a warning look and the redhead promptly clammed up once more. Something about the slightly older woman was so maternal that neither Evie nor Rebecca dared to contest that look. Their little group truly was the dysfunctional family that they all chose.

"I understand why your defenses are up Bec. No one in this room was very supportive of you or the situation when you took the job working for Emily, but you need to know that none of us are attacking you here." Rawly set Rebecca with a soft look, showing only the utmost sincerity in his warm gray eyes. "Personally I just want to know how this whole...arrangement, came to be."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rebecca could see Evie nearly vibrating where she sat. It was as if the redhead was trying to keep whatever remark floating in her brain inside of her mouth, lest her head found itself acquainted with Celia's wooden spoon. The consequences must have been well worth it because the Evie just couldn't stop herself. The next thing anyone knew, Evie was giving a response as to exactly how said arrangement happened.  
"Well they were fighting one minute and then Rebecca kissed her and the next thing she knew, she was between the legs of that blonde bit-"  
"Evie! For Christ's sake!" Rebecca moaned. She just didn't have it in her to be pissed anymore. There was only the lingering embarrassment mixed with a deep desire for a hole to open up and swallow her.

 

"Well that's how you explained it to me!" Evie cried in defense.  
Celia glanced at her husband with a tired expression. "Why do you want to procreate again? Aren't the twenty five year old teenagers enough of a headache for you?"  
Rawly uttered a chuckle that expressed how thoroughly amused he was by the whole situation. He was perhaps the only one in the room that wasn't upset, embarrassed, angry or exhausted. He had a very high threshold for pain though -- many years of practice surrounded by crazy women would do that for you.  
"Here I thought they were just very big toddlers," Rawly replied with sarcasm that was perfectly on point.  
Neither of the arguing girls heard this shared exchange between husband and wife. The two of them were so busy arguing with each other that Celia and Rawly had ceased to exist to them. In fact, the current topic that had been brought up to create such harsh feeling amongst the table was lost upon them as well. The argument they were currently having had begun to tread obscure territories.  
"It's not like I didn't help you get that job a few years back. And before you say anything, it's not my fault that it only lasted three days. I didn't tell you to quit."  
"There was no way I was staying in that place! It smelt like sweat and shame -- I can go to the gym if I desire that particular fragrance," Rebecca scoffed.  
"Not the point. You still owed me after that," Evie concluded.  
"I think you owe me after I helped you move into your dorm room, no one else was volunteering you know," Rebecca reminded her friend.  
"You didn't do that for me!" Evie threw back. "You did that so you could check out the co-ed bathrooms and the half naked college boys that happened to hang around said locations."

The brunette gasped in shocked indignation. "Just what are you trying to say about me?"  
"That you're a slut!" Evie shouted with her hands thrown up. "This whole Emily situation pretty much proves it doesn't it?"  
The Stanton's had been watching the argument between the two with rapt attention, their eyes ping ponging back and forth as each girl spoke. Now as that last point had been made by Evie, Celia let out a sigh and murmured. "And we've come full circle to the topic at hand."  
"I'm a slut?" Rebecca asked with a humorless chuckle. "Ironic coming from someone who's slept with enough guys to populate a small country!"  
Rawly sighed, finally meeting his wife's level of exhaustion during the course of this bickering match. "And we're back off topic."  
Celia rubbed soothing circles on his back and set Rawly with a sympathetic look. This wasn't anywhere near over. However, if it went on much longer one thing was for certain -- there was sure to be blood. That just couldn't happen all over Celia's good china.

"Okay, I think we're all getting a little out of hand here," Celia suggested, her voice taking a much softer tone with Rebecca and Evie than it previously had.  
The two of them snapped their attention to Celia, their tongues stilling all at once. Evie glanced down at her plate and aggressively tore at the steak, muttering under her breath all the while. Rebecca however pushed the plate away and stood up from the table once again.  
"You're right. I think I should leave."  
"No. Come on Rebecca, that's not what I meant," Celia said.  
Rebecca shook her head and walked off without so much as 'goodbye' or 'thanks for dinner.' Rawly looked at his wife and motioned with his eyes for her to follow. Celia didn't need any more prodding than that to jump up from the table and trail after Rebecca before she could get too far away.  
Celia caught up to Rebecca just as the brunette was unlocking her car. "Rebecca wait!"  
Rebecca turned around slowly, keys still in hand and a cloudy expression painted across her face. She was clearly still upset about the argument she had just finished with Evie. Suddenly, Celia felt a pang of guilt about how the night had turned out.  
"I'm sorry," Celia muttered.  
The brunette sighed and looked skyward, her face softening a bit from Celia's apology. "It's not like I expected any less when it was brought up. Why do you think I haven't said anything?"  
"I'm sorry," Celia said again and gnawed on her lip. This whole ordeal clearly bothered her. "I hate that you think we'll react so badly to your life choices."  
"Really, it's not like that Celia, it's just..." Rebecca struggled for her words. "You guys just don't understand I guess."  
"Make me understand then."  
Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck and tried her best to wrap her mind around the whole thing. She didn't have the faintest clue on how to explain this to Celia. Hell, she didn't even know how to explain it to herself.  
"It's complicated," was the answer that Rebecca finally settled on.  
Celia frowned. "That feels an awful lot like a cop out."  
"Perhaps it is," Rebecca shrugged. "But it's also true."  
Celia nodded, not satisfied with the answer but also not wanting to contest it. Rebecca didn't need to explain herself to anyone and she shouldn't be forced to by any means. The brunette had said it well enough earlier, she was a big girl and she could make her own decisions. The test of true friendship was deciding on whether to say 'I told you so' or 'I love you' when all the pieces came shattering down in need of repair. Celia didn't know about Evie or her husband, but she could say with certainty that she was prepared to do the latter if it came to it.  
"You know what?" Celia whispered to Rebecca, finally breaking the moment of silence that had settled between them.  
"What's that?"  
"I'm always here for you. Even if you have nothing to say."  
Rebecca smiled, an authentic one for the first time in a while tonight. "Thanks. I could never tell you how much I appreciate that."  
Before Celia could say or do anything else Rebecca had thrown her arms around her mother figure and squeezed tightly. She was sick of hearing what she should or shouldn't do with her life. Rebecca just wanted to be loved and supported and have the freedom to make her own mistakes. There was no other way she was ever going to learn how to walk on her own.

"So," Celia drawled the word out, not sure if she should finish the sentence on her mind but knowing she had to. "Do you want to finish dinner?"  
Rebecca looked back at the house and an internal struggle waged in her. On the one hand, she just wanted to turn her nose up and say no before heading home. Then again, she knew she was better than that petty behavior. Perhaps Evie would even feel bad about the things she had said and they could have some semblance of a normal conversation for once. Probably not, but she had to try.  
"I can't rightfully let your food go to waste, can I?" Rebecca asked with a small smirk still lingering on her features.  
"It would be a crime if you did," Celia answered seriously with a solemn nod.  
"Well, we can't have that," Rebecca replied with a chuckle and threw her arm around the older woman's shoulders. "Come on."  
***  
Despite her friend's worries and doubts, Rebecca didn't intend to stop what she had going with Emily. Sure, it confused the hell out of her when she stopped and thought about it for too long, but it didn't change the fact of the matter on the whole thing -- it felt good. And feeling good was something that Rebecca had experienced so little in her life that she wasn't about to give it up unless she was forced to.  
The debate at the Stanton's did stir something in Rebecca, however, and that was the desire to know what Emily's intentions were in this thing. Could she possibly harbor feelings for the brunette and what would that mean if she did? Or was this just something that felt good to her as well?  
Rebecca actually felt physically ill thinking that she may just be Emily's plaything to be tossed aside when the blonde got bored. The concept hadn't bothered her too much in the beginning, but know when she thought about it there was a sinking feeling inside that was impossible to ignore. This only led to more questions and worries about her own motives in the arrangement. Rebecca hated it all and so she tried hard not to think about any of it.

Damn Evie. She never could just leave well enough alone. Always had to complicate things and make Rebecca think when there was no point to it. She was probably being a bit harsh on her little friend, but it didn't change the fact that bringing up Rebecca and Emily's state of affairs to the Stanton's had her tied up in knots.  
All of this thinking got Rebecca curious to try out a little experiment with Emily. It was likely to blow up in her face given Emily's clear control issues about everything, but it was definitely worth a shot. Worst-case scenario, Emily would get pissed and call things off -- at least temporarily. Best-case scenario, Rebecca would get to try something knew with Emily and that in itself had been a reward in every other instance thus far.

The odds were truly stacked in Rebecca's favor, even if she did meet a bit of resistance at first -- but that was just par for the course.  
Rebecca worked at her desk and waited for Emily to leave for the scheduled lunch meeting she had every Wednesday now. Right on time, Emily left her office, sparing only a quick glance to Rebecca as she did before she headed to the elevator to meet the rest of her team. No one could say that Emily Frazier wasn't punctual, that was for sure.  
Well, except for that one time. Rebecca smirked to herself, thinking on how she had made a flustered Emily late to her important meeting a few weeks back. There was still a hint of pride that flew through the brunette at the mere thought of it. She liked turning Emily into a stuttering mess. Perhaps today would be another one of those days.

As soon as Rebecca knew for sure that Emily wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, she snuck into her boss's office. There had never been a time where Rebecca found herself in this room by herself -- without Emily in it there definitely was a strange ambiance about. Almost as if the room was dead or perhaps...asleep, weirdly enough.  
With a low hum in her throat, Rebecca walked around the office. She inspected things that normally were of no concern to her while she was trying to meet Emily's demands. Rebecca ran her fingertips over the bookshelves and the pristine tomes that resided inside of it, looking more like decoration than anything else. She had to wonder for a moment if Emily had even touched these books at all.

Her light touch moved to the desk that Rebecca had a definite love/hate relationship with at this point. She still resented the heavy monstrosity for that one time Emily thought it would be funny to have her move it all over the fucking place. With a slight smirk, she remembered that it had served as a nice anchor for their make out sessions -- and perhaps a little bit more -- on a few occasions as well though.  
After going through every little nuance and corner of the office, Rebecca finally settled in Emily's leather office chair. Wiggling her butt a little bit into the fabric, Rebecca smiled and considered how nice this felt in comparison to her own chair. There was a definite benefit to being 'the boss' -- as Emily so fondly referred to herself.  
Rebecca knew that she was in for a wait before Emily came back, at least a half an hour, so in the meantime she let herself daydream over her impromptu plan. In fact, it couldn't even be called a plan by any extent of the word, more like a whim. It wasn't actually in Rebecca's nature to be a meticulous planner to the same extent that Emily was, but when she got an idea in her head -- no matter how crazy or far fetched -- it was something that had to be followed through on. Most of her harebrained schemes as a teenager were very spur of the moment in all actuality.

So instead of thinking about the actual important things running through her head -- like the strong desire she had to be more than just a fuck buddy or a tool to Emily -- she let her mind wander over how to accomplish her current task at hand until she heard Emily approaching.  
Emily didn't immediately notice Rebecca on her way into the office. The blonde held the door slightly ajar, her body half in and half out of the room, as she continued to talk and laugh with one of her colleagues still standing out in the hall. When she bid them goodbye and turned fully around -- closing the door finally as she did -- Emily caught sight of Rebecca in her chair and narrowed her eyes at the brunette.  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
Rebecca shrugged, maintaining perfect innocence on her features as she swiveled the chair in lazy back and forth motions. Despite her nonchalance, there was a horde of butterflies working through her stomach as the anxiety settled in deep inside of her. Emily continued to stare at the brunette incredulously all the while. When she regained some composure over herself despite the blatant belligerence she received from Rebecca, Emily walked over to the chair so close that the two of them were touching at the knees.  
"Move," Emily demanded.  
Rebecca smirked, halting her movement completely now. "I will. In a minute."

Emily lifted a perfect golden brow in question. No one told Emily to wait in heroffice. Not even a cute piece of ass like Rebecca. What the fuck was this girl playing at?  
Matching the blonde's quirked brow with an identical expression of her own, Rebecca lifted one finger and curled it inward at Emily in a come-hither motion. This threw Emily off for a moment -- she was as close as she could possibly get without being on top of the brunette. With a grin, Emily worked out that this was precisely what Rebecca wanted however. She wasn't too proud to admit that she had moments of density -- especially when blinded by anger or pride like she was in this particular moment.

There wasn't even a second's debate on whether she would or wouldn't do what was requested of her. While Emily wasn't too fond of being told what to do -- especially by Rebecca given their checkered past -- she would be lying if she said she wasn't somewhat intrigued. So with barely a shrug of her shoulders Emily climbed onto Rebecca's lap, sliding her thighs on either side of the brunette's and wrapping her arms around the taller girl's neck.  
As Rebecca's hands came up to circle around Emily's waist, she was instantly struck by how well they fit together in this position. She had been with a fair share of guys that felt like they shaped to her quite well, but Emily fit against her body in a snug, tight way that was just right. They were like the perfect puzzle pieces that simply clicked together -- no fussing or fighting, the perfect match without even trying.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity in this position. Rebecca couldn't believe how easy it was to get Emily cooperate and thus was trying to figure out where to go with this since she didn't have to use any of her counter arguments to get Emily to come along with the plan. Emily simply stared at the brunette and wondered where this was going at all.  
"Now what?" she asked with a slight impatience in her voice.  
This was cute and all, but Emily had enough on her plate and mind at the moment. If this little thing wasn't going anywhere then she would rather be doing her job. She would of course rather be doing Rebecca, but if the brunette didn't get her ass in gear then work would be a fine replacement for her energy.  
"That's a good question," Rebecca murmured, looking torn for all of one second, before her face opened up in a devastating grin that made Emily's knees weak. The brunette scooted the chair closer to the desk using just her legs since she still had a firm grip on Emily's waist. "Lay back."  
Emily seemed to question this demand silently. Rebecca wasn't sure if it was because she was being bossed around or if it was a lack of faith, but the blonde made no move to do what she was told. Rebecca looked down at her, her brows rising in an expectant stare, but Emily still didn't move.  
Rebecca sighed. "Trust me. Lay back."  
These probably weren't the best words to use since Emily set her jaw tight and narrowed her eyes at Rebecca, but after another moment she rolled her eyes and did what she was asked. The blonde's head and shoulders rested against the hard wood of the desk in a way that wasn't exactly comfortable but she did her best to ignore it. Mostly out of sheer curiosity about what Rebecca was planning.  
Emily didn't have to wait long to find out.

With another smirk that Emily just barely caught at her angle, Rebecca slid her hands from Emily's waist to rest under her butt. Rebecca lifted Emily off her lap and moved the chair even closer to the desk. This allowed Rebecca to drape Emily's legs over her shoulders, bringing the blonde's center impossibly close to her salivating mouth.  
Without wasting another second of either of their time, Rebecca moved her face between the blonde's thighs and nudged her nose against Emily's panties. There was a small gasp, which quickly turned into a low moan when Rebecca's nose was replaced with her warm tongue. She delivered a slow lick up the material separating her from Emily's skin. When Emily shivered in her arms, Rebecca had to suppress the smug smile that wanted to creep onto her face in favor of concentrating on what she was doing.

Rebecca slid one arm completely under Emily's lower back to support her in the current position and used the other to push the blonde's panties aside to give her tongue access to the soft skin underneath. As soon as Rebecca made contact with her, Emily let out another moan -- this one more needy and breathless than the last -- and reached forward to grip the brunette's sweater in a tight grasp. Emily could truly agree with Rebecca on how good she was about picking up things rather quickly. In no time at all, Rebecca had become a pro at using that tongue which had once been covered in sharp barbs in a more productive manner that served Emily just fine. More than fine in all actuality.  
Emily's legs tensed and her hips raised higher into Rebecca's waiting mouth. It wasn't long before Emily felt her stomach began to clench in anticipation of the orgasm Rebecca was driving her toward. The death grip on Rebecca's sweater tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Fuck," Emily muttered under breath. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."  
Rebecca didn't stop the grin that split her face this time. She knew that was Emily's go to line when she was close to coming. Sometimes the girl was just too predictable.  
True to Rebecca's assumption, Emily bucked her hips up and dug her nails into the brunette through the thick fabric of the sweater. The pain didn't slow Rebecca down for even a moment -- in fact, she had come to enjoy the sensation of Emily's nails digging into her skin at the height of pleasure. It was like a confirmation of how well she was doing. In Rebecca's opinion, feeling the sharp sting was just as good as hearing those breathless 'fucks' leave the blonde's parted pink lips.  
Rebecca pulled away from Emily finally and stretched her neck after being in that awkward position for so long. She watched as the blonde's chest heaved and had to admit that it made her feel pretty damn good to put Emily in this state. Between the cold green eyes scrunched shut and that pretty mouth still stuck slightly ajar, Rebecca knew that she had accomplished her task and accomplished it well.  
Rebecca never asked if Emily wanted her to reciprocate. Either she did or she didn't depending on her mood. This was a time when Rebecca was deeply grateful about the quirk that the blonde had, because she didn't want to get into an awkward discussion about why she didn't want Emily giving back on this occasion.

Honestly, the brunette couldn't even explain to herself why this was, but it wasn't so important to consider the why and why not's as much as just fulfilling what she needed to. For once Rebecca was completely content to give Emily everything she had with absolutely no expectations. There had been more than a few occasions where that had been Emily's motives so Rebecca couldn't see why she couldn't do the same for her boss.

Perhaps that was just her refusing to think any deeper than her own shallow motives though. Rebecca was sure if she really considered it she would see that it didn't have so much to do about control or even feeling the need to give back in this case. No, it had to do with something so much more. However, that was a territory that Rebecca wasn't going anywhere near.  
Instead of thinking any farther on that particular path she was heading down, Rebecca pulled the blonde upright into her lap once more and held her tight around the middle while she quivered. Emily let out a shaky sigh and rested her head against Rebecca's shoulder. It never ceased to amaze the blonde how she could have the most world shattering orgasms from Rebecca -- especially with all the negative feelings she still harbored for her.  
"So, you think you're the boss or something now?" Emily panted against Rebecca's neck once she had caught her breath. The comment was clearly meant as a joke but Rebecca was sharp enough to hear the challenge in the blonde's voice as well.

"Of course not," Rebecca murmured. "I know that as soon as I get up from this spot you'll be whipping my ass all over this building again. No worries there."  
Emily lifted her head to meet Rebecca's gaze and after a moment of silence between the two, they broke out into light chuckles. When the beautiful melody that they made together tapered off Rebecca reached up, pushed back the messy blonde locks from Emily's face and simply smiled down at her sweetly. It was amazing how far they had come since that first crazy night in this room -- and yet they still seemed light years away from each other.  
The traitorous thoughts of Rebecca's mind resurfaced just looking at Emily like this and she realized that she wanted to go even further than they already had -- so much further. Despite her previous conviction to stay away from such deep thoughts, her mind began to wander again. Before Rebecca even had time to stop herself, her mouth was open and saying things it probably shouldn't. Damn her impulsive nature.  
"So, where do we go from here exactly?"  
"Back to work. I can't have you distracting me all day," Emily said simply, already looking like she was ready to slip off Rebecca's lap and kick the brunette out of her chair.  
Rebecca should have just let it go but she couldn't help herself from clarifying what she actually meant. "No, I mean me and you. Where do we go from here? What's the next stage of this relationship?"  
Emily separated herself from Rebecca as quickly as she could and crossed her arms. This question seemed to have struck a nerve with the blonde. "There is no next level to this relationship. This is it. We work together and occasionally we have sex. Nothing more."  
The brunette furrowed her brows and crossed her arms, feeling more angry than hurt by this explanation. "So you're saying you don't feel anything for me except the need to get your rocks off every now and again?"  
"Look, even if I did it would never work. You're my assistant, it would look bad for me." Emily rubbed her temple with one hand, the other still firmly across her middle in a defensive stance. "But it doesn't matter, because I don't. Do you really think I would just get over everything between us because you're good at making me come?"  
"Oh, wow," Rebecca uttered a humorless chuckle. "You are so fucking immature. Get over it already."  
If looks could kill Rebecca may very well have been dead with the glare that Emily set her with now. "Don't you fucking tell me to get over it. You of all people have no right to say that to me."  
Rebecca couldn't believe how this was turning out. She knew that Emily had a hard time letting go of the past but this was just ridiculous. It had been nearly a decade since she had done anything to Emily.  
"Whatever. I don't have to put up with this shit," Rebecca growled and got up, brushing past Emily briskly. She turned at the door and stared the blonde down harshly before speaking, "The next time you have an itch that needs scratching, don't even think about coming to me."  
"Trust me, I wouldn't dream of it," Emily spat back, not even looking at Rebecca now.

"Good. I'm glad we're clear on that, Ms. Frazier," Rebecca made sure to say the name as venomously as she was capable and left the room with a slam of the door.  
Emily curled her other arm around herself again and tried not to let Rebecca's words get under her skin. She didn't realize how much hearing that name off the brunette's lips would sting. There was no way that Emily was going to dwell on it though. She went back to her chair, choked back the bad feelings and went to work with the fury of a lunatic.  
On the other side of the door, Rebecca was doing the exact opposite of Emily. She simply sat and stared at the opposite wall of the room. There was a hole burning in her chest that she couldn't quite understand and for the first time in quite a while she felt the compulsion to cry, though she couldn't quite figure out why.  
At least Rebecca had the consolation of finally getting the answer to her questions. She had been nothing but a toy to Emily. Now she was back to being nothing -- which was appropriate because it was exactly how she felt right now.  
***  
The tension between Emily and Rebecca shifted drastically in the coming days. What had once been an unspoken burning desire had fizzled out to something entirely different. It was difficult for either of them to see the other without things becoming tense and awkward.  
Emily got over it first. She had much more experience in bouncing back from bad situations after all. The blonde kept expecting Rebecca to come around eventually and just get over their fight, if nothing else so that they could work more fluidly together once more, but it didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.  
The truth was that Rebecca had no idea how to bounce back. On top of that, there was a cold feeling she got every time she saw Emily. It was almost painful in the way that it ripped through her when she had to interact with the blonde.  
Rebecca couldn't figure out why she felt such a way, why she couldn't just put everything behind her as she had demanded from Emily. It was impossible though. It ate at her insides while she was at work, it burrowed into her mind when she wasn't. Nothing else seemed to cross her conscious thoughts or feelings but Emily.  
After two weeks of the sickening feeling, Rebecca just couldn't do it anymore. She knew that she had no other choice but to separate herself from the situation completely if she was ever going to get over it. Make a clean split as they say.  
This led her to go to Emily of her own devices for the first time since they had stopped speaking to each other outside of work related interactions. The blonde looked up at Rebecca expectantly, waiting for an apology or even a truce of some sort. She didn't anticipate what was about to happen at all however.  
"This is for you," Rebecca simply said and laid the paper in front of her boss.  
She didn't slap it down with authority or toss it carelessly. Rebecca slid it across the desk gently, almost hesitantly. Her face showed the same hesitancy as her action of setting the document down in front of Emily.  
"What's this?" Emily asked without looking at the paper.  
Her eyes were trained on Rebecca's face instead. She had seen her a bit mopey and quiet over the past days, but she had never seen the brunette quite like this and it was starting to freak Emily out a little bit. There was just something wrong about the expression across the former cheerleaders face. It wasn't a look that suited Rebecca Knox at all.  
"My two-week notice," Rebecca said.  
Branson High -- Senior Year: Rebecca Knox  
I couldn't understand it for the life of me. It was as if she had become immune to the punishment. The insults didn't make her eyes shine with unshed tears anymore and the pranks seemed to be more of a nuisance than anything else. She wasn't fazed in the slightest by the cruelty I enjoyed dishing out. It was all so annoying  
There had to be another way.  
This was my last chance for a big blowout before high school was over. I couldn't end this game with Emily Frazier in the lead. She had to know who the top fucking dog was before she was allowed to go out into the world where I couldn't torment her daily.  
Ever since that goddamn fight she had been impossible to sway though. Even my own friends were starting to think that I was losing my touch and that just wasn't right. I wasn't going to end the near flawless streak I had fucking with this girl's life now -- not in my senior year where I had all the power in the world.  
"Fuck," I muttered.

Feeling the frustration of the situation at hand, I chucked the pillow nearest to me across my room. The pillow struck my dresser and knocked something to the ground. I got up to make sure that I hadn't broken anything in my fury and saw the stupid sketchbook that I had taken from the nerd last year.  
I had barely glanced at the thing since I first took it from her. There was no way I would admit it to anybody, but when I had first flipped through the thing I was impressed at the detail and skill each of the drawings had -- but it didn't matter. It was just a stupid sketchbook that stupid Emily Frazier coveted, which is exactly why I had confiscated it.  
However, now that I looked down at the pad, I felt as if I was getting a sign from God himself. Everything seemed so clear and simple now. I couldn't exactly be sure, it would take a bit of sleuthing on my part, but just from the particular drawing that stared back at me from the floor I was sure I had a piece of dirt on the bitch that she didn't want anyone else to know.  
Frazier was into girls.

With a malicious grin, it came to me. I just had to change up my tactics and stop with the child's play. It was time for some really dirty tactics against Frazier. Mental and emotional punishment levels of the likes that she had never seen before.  
In the coming days, I trailed Frazier throughout the school like a bloodhound and watched her like a hawk. I was just waiting for any sign that might confirm my suspicions so I could go to phase two of my plan. Luckily, for me it was easy to pick up on the necessary clues and what I had suspected became a solid fact.  
She wasn't subtle about checking out any of the attractive girls in school -- especially the cheerleaders. And not in that 'oh she's pretty, that makes me envious' way that most girls did, I mean she really checked them out. This explained the all too detailed drawings of women that I found in that ridiculous fucking sketchbook of hers.  
It would have been easy enough to spread the rumors around school about this little fact and watch the shit storm that happened afterward, but I had a better plan in mind -- one that would possibly break the girl for the rest of her days. I just needed to get close enough to her in order to get the real good dirt. For some reason the mere thought of this made me giddy. I knew I was a sadistic bitch, but this would be reaching all new heights of evil.

Hooray for me.  
The first step was sure to be the hardest, but as soon as it was accomplished I knew it would all be downhill from there. I had to get Frazier to trust me. She had to let her guard down for any of this to work. So at the risk of my own reputation for the time being, I backed off from the girl and attempted to be somewhat nicer toward her -- or at the very least complacent with her existence.  
I could tell that Frazier was on her guard when I didn't just come at her with vicious words or fists a' flying. There were surely some dark memories of the sophomore Homecoming game that was lingering in her brain -- the calm before the storm so to speak. If so, the girl truly was clever because that was my exact tactic.  
After the first month of school and no major repercussions at her mere presence, Frazier started to relax a bit. However, my friends were becoming irritated that there was no scheme or plan to get at her -- at least not that they were involved in. They became increasingly difficult to deal with when I forbade them from doing anything to Frazier whatsoever. They started claiming everything about me, from going soft to becoming a traitor to the cause. In short, I had the makings of a revolt on my hands.  
I wouldn't be much of a leader at all if I let these things get under my skin and ruin my grand design though. With a simple assurance that I had things under control and that they simply needed to watch and wait this time, I was able to calm the horde down before they tried to lynch me for supposedly siding with Frazier. Shame on them for even thinking such a thing. Stupid bitches.

When all of the distractions were out of the way, I decided to move in on my target now that she had stopped flinching every time she saw me. So one day I strolled into the cafeteria and instead of sitting with the rest of the cheerleaders and jocks, I went over to the lonely table that Frazier always occupied by herself. She sat there was a tray of untouched food working on another one of those damn drawings. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at the sight. At least this time it wasn't another girly picture, she must save those for her alone time.  
"Hey. Mind if I sit here?" I asked with all the put on politeness that I knew how to muster.  
Frazier glanced up at me with a baffled look on her face. If I didn't hate the nerd so much I would say that it was almost cute -- like a confused puppy or some shit. She looked around to see if I was talking to anyone else and in the quick moment that she wasn't watching me, I glanced over at my normal table and gave some of my buddies a quick wink so they knew I was up to no good.  
"Um..." The hesitation in her voice was clear that she was unsure of the nature of my presence. Must have smelt danger in the water. Clever girl indeed.  
I grinned at her, still doing my utmost to appear non-threatening. "Well?"  
"Uh, yeah. I guess I can't stop you," Frazier finally muttered out.  
"Cool," I replied in a cheery voice and took a seat across from her.  
I didn't say anything else, instead opting to focus on my food and stare out of one of the big windows. Frazier kept looking up from her sketchpad nervously, as if she was just waiting for me to do something bad. It was going to be really hard to go on to the next step if she kept this jumpy attitude up. Was it really so difficult to trust me? Okay yeah, it was.  
"Why do you keep staring at me like that, huh?" I asked and munched on a French fry absently, not actually looking at her when I asked my question.  
"Just waiting for the other shoe to drop," Frazier mumbled and averted her eyes from me.  
I glanced at the mousey blonde's face and set her with a raised brow. "Is it so hard to believe that I might have finally grown up a little bit? Maybe I feel bad about things between us."  
There you go Knox, mix half-truths with lies. Can't pin you on shit that way. I'm the best at this.  
"It's quite hard to believe actually," Frazier replied and glanced at me with narrowed eyes. "But if this is your way of extending an olive branch then I'm not too proud to deny it."  
My lip curled into a smile that I hoped wasn't too devious in appearance. This was just perfect. Play it slow and get her to fall into that false sense of security. That was all I had to do.  
"Good to hear," I said sweetly and brushed my fingertips along Frazier's hand lightly, "I'm sure we could be great friends."  
The blonde's brows shot into her hairline at that subtle touch. She started to breathe a little harder and it was noticeable how her chest rose and fell a little quicker than a moment before. Damn, this girl was hard up. It almost made me feel bad...except it didn't. Nope, not at all.  
"I, uh, yeah. Th-that would be nice. Really nice," she stuttered lamely.  
I fought my urges to roll my eyes at this pathetic display in front of me. I knew that I had a role to play though and I was nothing if not a damn good actress. This would be my best by far too. Fucking Oscar worthy stuff.

It became a daily tradition to spend my lunch hour with Frazier now, even though we rarely talked about anything at all. I knew she was still suspicious of my motives despite accepting the 'olive branch' as she called it. It would just take a bit more time with her, time I was willing to spend for the grand payoff.  
On top of Frazier's speculation, the rest of the school began to hum with countless rumors about the head cheerleader spending time with the school's pariah. None of those lasted long however. After the assurance of my utmost loyalty to upholding the food chain, my girls silenced anyone that dared to say I was anything less than Becca 'queen bitch' Knox -- and no one forgot it after they learned their lesson once.  
After the third week of near silent lunches together Emily finally broke. She closed the sketchpad in front of her -- the tray of food she picked up everyday still untouched oddly enough -- and set me with a hard look of unbelief.

"Okay, I know that I said having you around would be nice or whatever, but I just don't get it. What's your angle Becca? What are you playing at?"  
"I've been nothing but pleasant to you lately Emily." It was difficult for me to call the miniature blonde anything other than Frazier. I did my utmost to mask the distaste of her given name escaping my mouth. "Why can't you just accept that?"  
Frazier threw her hands up in the air. "Because it's you we're talking about! You! Becca Knox! The girl that's held an almost four year grudge on me just because I ran into her on the first day of high school."  
"Okay first off, you didn't just run into me. You ruined the first cheerleading uniform that I ever wore for Branson -- that was a very big deal to me. It was symbolic or sentimental," I waved my hand in dismissal, "whatever that S word is that I'm looking for."  
Something about this rant tickled Frazier's funny bone. She stifled a giggle behind her hand and tried to play it off as a cough. I wasn't the smartest girl but I wasn't thick either, she couldn't fool me with that old trick.  
"I don't recall that memory being funny," I stated and raised a brow.  
Frazier shook her head. "Oh, it's wasn't. However, your firm grip on the English language is humorous."  
I let that jab slide, because, well it wasn't completely false. More importantly though, the thick walls were beginning to come down which was far more relevant. I could handle the insult to my intelligence in that trade off. It meant that I could begin working on the next part of the scheme.  
"So what are you working on there?" I asked pointing to the closed pad in front of her. "You're always doodling in that thing instead of eating lunch. Isn't that what art class is for?"  
Frazier put a protective hand over the sketchpad and set me with a very wary glance. I'm sure she wanted to pop off with smart-ass comment, something to the effect of me having already seen enough of her work with the pad I had stole last year most likely. It would be completely true too. Perhaps she saw my intention to have a friendly conversation with her though -- to her knowledge at least, great actress remember -- so she relented to my question.

"I do a lot of, um, extracurricular art actually," Frazier admitted somewhat sheepishly.  
Oh, I bet you do, I thought sarcastically while maintaining my interested look towards her.  
Frazier chewed on her lip and searched my face for something. When she seemed content at what she found she sighed and flipped open the book to the last piece she had been working on and turned it toward me. I pulled the pad a bit closer and inspected it with a vague amount of interest. In order to keep up appearances I had to check it out a little.  
For the second time -- at least -- I had to admit that she was very talented in what she did. It didn't mean that I had to like her or her silly drawings, but I could admit when something was good. I wasn't blind after all.

This one was a bit different from the things I had seen in the last book. Her prowess had obviously increased between then and now. It was a landscape portrait of a forested trail at sundown. The shading on the rocks and the trees were spot on to how the sun would reflect off them and that was even more impressive seeing how she had done the entire thing with just a simple mechanical pencil.  
"I know this place," I said tapping the drawing. "It's the lookout past Robins Way, right?"  
Frazier hummed in affirmation and nodded her head once.  
"This is actually...really good. Is it from memory?"  
She nodded again. "Most of my work is. I have an uncanny ability to remember detail. I just have to see something once in order to put it on paper."  
This little tidbit was oddly fascinating to me. I barely had a memory for faces let alone the scope of detail that something like this would take. There was no way that I was going to tell Frazier and risk inflating her ego or harming my hard ass reputation of course, but I wasn't ashamed to think it. Well, I wasn't too ashamed to think it at least.  
Without the blonde's consent, I began to flip backward through the book to see what else she had been working on during the last few weeks of our lunches together. Frazier shifted uncomfortably in her seat as I did this, whether because I was blatantly violating her privacy or because she had something to hide was difficult to tell. Either way, I ignored her squirming and kept looking. If she really cared, she would say something or snatch the book out of my hands.

Most everything was completely finished -- or at least highly detailed -- but the thing that caught me most was when I found a piece that was half drawn. It was barely a skeleton of a drawing actually, just figure work on what looked like a person. A female person to be more exact which made my lip curl deviously.  
The thing that was even more striking about this particular drawing -- beside the fact that it wasn't finished -- was that it had a sort of familiarity to it. I couldn't quite place it, but by the way that the hip of the figure cocked out with one hand on the opposite side and the tilt of the head, it kept reminding me of something. I searched the drawing hard to try and put the pieces together, but before I could, Frazier took out the book from under my gaze.  
She was looking rather red faced by this point. I couldn't be sure if it was from the subject of the drawing or the content, but she seemed definitely put off by me scrutinizing it so closely. That much was quite clear.  
"I've gotta run," she mumbled. "Got to get to class."  
Frazier scurried out of the cafeteria before I could even protest her quick retreat. I glanced up at the clock and noticed that there was still a good twenty minutes before the lunch period was over and that made me wonder about her silly little drawing even more. Could she perhaps have a secret crush that she didn't want me to find out about? It was bad enough that the girl was gay as a two-dollar bill, but if I were to find out about her particular object of interest that would just be so much worse wouldn't it?  
Oh yes, it certainly would.

The simple back and forth between us kept on throughout the coming days and weeks and it even got to the point that the two of us could have conversations that weren't entirely painful on my end of things. Mostly I was just trying to scope out this mystery person that Frazier was fixated on more than anything. This made my acting abilities increase tenfold since I was a woman on a mission.  
All the pieces folded into place one day when I was harassing a freshman with two of my loyal lackeys. Just because Frazier was off limits at the moment didn't mean that the rest of the school was free from my wrath! Besides, if the girls -- and admittedly myself as well -- didn't get the taste of blood from the fresh wounds we cut with our words we went a little insane. It was what spawned the nickname of my squad being known as 'sharks in skirts' after all. Not so endearing perhaps, but definitely fear inducing and for that I could accept the moniker.

I caught sight of myself in the glass of the window I was standing next to and froze suddenly to stare at it. My right hip was cocked out and a hand rested on the left side. The way that my head leaned towards my victim caused a slight tilt to it as well. Everything fit in that moment.  
She was drawing me. Frazier was fucking drawing me! What the fuck?  
This changed everything.

I didn't need to find out who this mystery person was anymore. It was me. While it made things slightly easier since I didn't have to worry about another person cooperating with this plan, it also severely complicated things. How did I go about this without making myself look bad?  
The possibility of public humiliation was right out. There was still a chance that I would be able to salvage myself throughout the whole process, but the way that I had been spending time with Frazier lately would only confirm the rumors that were sure to pop up soon afterward. No, I would have to be much more subtle in my delivery now. I would have to strike in a way where the masses could only see the aftermath and not the deathblow.  
An odd idea struck me suddenly. It was a bit of a long shot and could still end up hurting my rep if it backfired, but it was worth considering. Especially if everything went according to plan -- as most of my schemes did. Frazier would be destroyed and no one would be any wiser to my involvement outside of creating the mess that the little blonde would inevitably become.

I was going to make Emily Frazier fall for me -- and I was going to make her believe that I reciprocated her ridiculous feelings.  
The more I mulled it over as me and my girls walked away from the shivering freshman, the more I enjoyed the thought of the idea. It wasn't hard to make the boys fall in love with me, so how much harder would it be to do the same for a lesbian? I was fucking brilliant.  
"Hey B," Ashley said from my left side, a slight smirk stretching across her face as she spoke. "You got that evil smile that always means you're up to something. What's going on?"  
"Yeah, what are you cooking up Becca? I'm tired of being out of the loop," Marie whined from my right.  
"Patience," I muttered to the two of them while my mind worked on overtime. "You'll find out soon enough. I'm not the queen bitch of Branson for nothing you know."  
Just the concept of my evil mind working its old tricks got the two of them giggling beside me. As long as they got to watch someone else suffer, they were happy. They would never have the capability to scheme like me though. Truly, stupid, stupid bitches.

Now that Frazier had let me into her inner circle of trust and I was aware of her dirty little secret, it was just a matter of time until things came to a boil. I kept up all of the same tactics I had employed lately, the lunchtime meetings and pleasant conversations, but I had pulled in some other moves on top of that. Light touches to her hand or arm, or smiling as authentically as I possibly could when Frazier would say something funny to make her feel closer to me.  
It wasn't hard to see how much she was really starting to warm up to me as my plan took motion. When we would pass each other in the hall I would see her visibly light up for a moment and sometimes she even gave me a little wave. This led to more than one awkward conversation with my typical clique, but I just kept assuring them that soon everything would come crashing down. I just needed a little more time.  
Eventually I couldn't understand what I was waiting for when I told them to be patient though and it made me hate the whole plan. Why hadn't I pulled the rug out from under her yet? When was this 'perfect' time to strike going to pop up? There was a fear that perhaps I actually liked spending time with Frazier and that scared me.  
That couldn't possibly be it though could it. No, I hated the nerd. Why would I actually enjoy being around her by any stretch of reason?  
Sure, it was easier to have a conversation with her that didn't revolve around guys, shopping or cheering since Frazier actually had a brain unlike most of the idiots I was surrounded by. And yeah, she actually was quite funny when her guard came down. Of course, I had probably just got into the role so well that I was beginning to believe the lies I was perpetuating. That had to be it.

It had to end though. Before I could get any deeper into this weird black hole, I had to break the stupid link that was forming between the outcast of Branson and me before I really did lose the ironclad reputation that I had clawed and fought for in the last four years. Hell, the last seven years if you count all the meticulous choices I had made in junior high as well.  
It didn't have to be outlandish or grand, I just had to drive the point home hard and fast. As long as she knew there was absolutely no way that she would ever be anything to me, my life could just go back to normal. As soon as she realized how incredibly undesirable she was to me -- and everyone else by extension -- all could be right in the jungle once more.  
Before I had the chance to come up with anything Frazier gave me the perfect opportunity. She slipped a note in my locker asking me to meet her out at the football field after dark this Friday. It was truly perfect.  
No one had to know about our rendezvous. No one had to know that I was meeting Emily -- Frazier dammit, Frazier -- for any reason. All they had to know about was what happened afterward.

She was already waiting for me on one of the bleachers when I finally showed up. Just as I hoped, there wasn't a soul in sight on campus and that made me breathe easy. I wasn't exactly sure why I was so afraid for anyone to know about this secret meeting with Frazier anymore than I was afraid of why I enjoyed those lunch periods with her. Hell, everyone knew that I had been spending lunch with the girl so what made this any different?  
I wouldn't allow myself to dive too far into the semantics of things though. It wasn't my place to worry about how the caste system of high school worked and it definitely wasn't my place to come against it. What had been set in stone from the beginning of time wasn't going to change just because I might like talking to a nerd like Emily Frazier. It wasn't relevant. All that mattered was the mission at hand.  
Frazier stood and walked towards me looking more nervous than I had ever seen her before. This was good. It meant that I started with the upper hand. I just had to get this over with and walk away. Just break the girl's heart and move on Knox, very simple stuff.  
It didn't look like Frazier was going to speak up anytime soon so I figured it would be best to take the initiative before I changed my mind last minute. I couldn't actually risk doing something halfway decent in my life. The mere thought felt like it would be going against my very nature.  
"Do you know why I agreed to meet you here?" I asked as sweetly as I could, trying to retain the illusion of friendship that I had created.  
Frazier simply shrugged her reply.

"Guess."  
"Well, I thought that maybe, I mean, that perhaps it was possible that you...I don't know, that maybe you liked me," Frazier mumbled.  
I flashed her a winning smile that perked her interest. Slowly I moved closer, almost as if I was going in to kiss her. Frazier looked like she was excited about the prospect and it made the thought of my next move that much sweeter.  
At the last moment, I swooped to the side and brushed my lips against her ear to whisper, "You thought that I liked you? Maybe even, loved you? No," I uttered a breathy chuckle. "I will never love you. No one will ever love you."  
As I pulled back to glance at her face one more time I could almost feel the girl's blood running cold at my words. She didn't get angry like I sort of expected her to and she didn't cry. Frazier just looked vacant -- like she was completely empty inside.  
I frowned as I continued to look at her a moment longer than I planned. It didn't feel as good as I hoped it would. In fact, seeing Frazier like that with all the fight finally drained out of her kind of made me feel bad. I had a moment where I almost wanted to take the words back.  
Whatever.  
Not being able to look at that blank face for another second, I abruptly turned on my heel and walked away. I accomplished what I wanted to and was quite successful in the endeavor as well. Who cared if I felt like shit inside for possibly crossing that invisible line between us? It didn't fucking matter anymore.  
Frazier didn't show up at school again until the day of senior graduation when we all received our diplomas. It was only for a brief moment, but it was all I needed to see the dark circles under her eyes and the same look on her face that I had left her with that night. Again, the vile feeling inside me brewed, but I suppressed it just as quick. I couldn't spend the rest of my life worrying about a stupid girl that was stupid enough to let a stupid prank get to her so much.  
+  
That was the last time I figured I would ever see Emily Frazier.


	6. Combat baby

"Excuse me?" Emily said and blinked slowly.  
"It's my two weeks." Rebecca glanced at the paper quickly and then back to Emily. "This is the proper protocol, is it not?"  
"It is," she replied and then looked at the paper herself, "I just don't understand where this is coming from."  
Rebecca sighed. "Please, don't play this game. You know exactly where this is coming from."  
Emily continued to stare at the lonely paper sitting on her desk. She hated it's presence there. It almost felt like it was mocking her.  
"Look on the bright side. You win," Rebecca said in an offhanded way as she turned to leave the office.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily demanded, standing from her chair now in case she had to chase Rebecca down for an answer.  
This wasn't the case at all however. Rebecca turned at the door, gripped the handle in her right hand and glanced at Emily with sadness in her eyes. A sadness that couldn't be anything but authentic. It was a look that the blonde had never seen on Rebecca's face in all the years that they had known each other -- and it was as unsuited to Rebecca's gorgeous face as much as it was foreign.

"I know you've been horrible to me this whole time in order to get me to quit. I may just be a dumb cheerleader in your eyes, but that doesn't mean that I'm completely stupid," Rebecca shrugged. "So, congratulations, you win. You finally got the upper hand on me Frazier."  
This explanation struck Emily just as speechless as the initial news of Rebecca's two-week notice. For what felt like the first time in her adult life, she simply had nothing to retort. No witty comeback or one-liner to throw back. She was rendered completely silent.  
Rebecca sensed Emily's inability to come up with a decent response and so she simply nodded and left the room finally. Emily stared at the closed door for a good five minutes before she finally sunk back into her chair. The blonde's mouth was still slightly ajar at the unexpected nature of the whole situation and for the life of her, she couldn't seem to shut her trap.  
Emily felt completely blindsided by the whole ordeal. After waiting some time for things to cool down and smooth over, Emily was sure that Rebecca would come to her senses and realize that what they had together was playful and fun -- nothing more than that. It could never be anything more than that. But all of it ending the way that it had? That was never supposed to be a part of the equation.

With a shaky hand -- something that Emily had no more control over than her gaping mouth at the moment -- she reached out to pick up the paper that Rebecca had slid across the desk. She hoped to God that this was just a cruel joke to get back at her for the way that she had handled the brunette's recent vulnerability when the nature of their relationship had come into question. Emily could admit that she should have used a bit more tact, but what had happened couldn't be changed. Looking down at the paper confirmed it all to be true though, the form was as authentic as could be.  
Rebecca was actually leaving Zendex. She was leaving Emily. And God, did it fucking hurt just as bad as the last time she left her.  
***  
If the tension between Emily and Rebecca wasn't bad enough after their fight, it was absolutely unbearable now. IN fact, all of Emily's colleagues stayed away from her office at all costs to avoid having to be in the thick tension that the two women created just being near one another. No one really knew why they had gone from being chummy and joking with each other one day to whatever the hell they were now -- and admittedly no one wanted to know.

Rebecca couldn't look at Emily without feeling a hurt in her chest that she couldn't explain coupled with the disgusting sensation that made her want to vomit -- a feeling that was similar to the sensation she felt during her senior year prank. Emily just stayed locked up in her office when she wasn't forced to come out to meet with her team on the new project. She wouldn't admit it, but she felt spurned and rejected, despite being the one that had done the rejecting this time around.  
The last time they spent any amount of time together was Rebecca's last day at the Zendex Media building. The brunette had packed all of her things and said goodbye to the few other employees that she shared regular conversations with during coffee breaks around the water cooler and now there was only one thing that remained before she bid the company adieu for good. It was the hardest task of all too. Saying farewell to Emily.

Rebecca stood in front of Emily's office and knocked in a tentative way that was uncommon for her. Unlike her previous months at the company, she waited on the other side for some confirmation from Emily before making her way in. It had been weeks since she felt the right to knock and walk into the office like she once had.  
"Enter," Rebecca heard Emily grunt from the other side.

Rebecca took a deep breath and walked through the door with a fake smile fixed on her face. It was something that Emily was sure to see right through, but Rebecca still had face to save. She couldn't really let on how hurt she felt around the blonde. It would only make it that much worse.  
"Hi," Rebecca said softly, attracting Emily's attention at once. "I just...I wanted to say goodbye before I left."  
"Oh," Emily's face fell away from the brunette's gaze without another word.  
Rebecca stood around for another awkward moment or two, shifting uncomfortably as she did. She couldn't figure out if she should prompt something more from Emily or just wait for a better response beyond the one word she received. Eventually she just shrugged and cut her losses. If Emily had something to say then she would have said it.

"Okay, well, goodbye then," Rebecca told her and turned to leave the room for what she hoped would be the very last time.  
"Becca wait," Emily sighed.  
Rebecca turned back and she cursed herself internally for the way her body still reacted to Emily's command. "Hmm?"  
"I wasn't sure if you would want this, but I...well I wrote you a recommendation. I don't know if you'll use it or not, but you do good work and it was the best I could do for you," Emily shrugged and held out the paper.  
Rebecca stepped forward and plucked the sheet from Emily's loose grasp without looking at what it said. She wasn't exactly interested if she was honest, but it was a nice gesture and that was more than she could say for Emily's typical behavior during her stay as the blonde's assistant. It was a nice step in the right direction, even if it was too late to really matter now.  
"Thank you Ms. Frazier."  
"Becca, please. I'm not your boss anymore. You can call me Emily."  
Rebecca looked at the clock above Emily's desk and narrowed her eyes. A piece of her wanted to be sarcastic. Another piece wanted her to make a joke to lighten the situation. A third piece wanted to give into Emily's attempt at kindness with a bit of her own. She ultimately chose something in between all three.  
"Actually you still are -- for the next twenty minutes at least. But I'll relent," Rebecca cracked a small smile. "Thank you Emily."  
"Anytime," Emily replied.

Emily couldn't stop herself from still disdaining some little things about Rebecca, but in their time together, she had learned to deal with most of these. Emily couldn't just 'get over it' like Rebecca wanted her to, but she had at least tried to learn more about Rebecca than her high school counterpart had originally let on. As a result, Emily could say with certainty that she genuinely enjoyed Rebecca's company and would be willing to help where she could -- even if it was just writing a simple letter of recommendation.  
"Yeah. Well," Rebecca was stuck on what she should say next. What exactly did one say in a situation like this anyway? "I'll be going then."  
"Sure," Emily nodded. "I'll see you around Becca."

Rebecca seriously doubted that, but she still gave the blonde a returning nod nonetheless. There was a good chance that they would not be seeing each other ever again. After all, they had managed to live in the same fifty-mile vicinity for most of their lives and avoid the other like a plague on accident, how much more likely was it now that they -- or at least Rebecca -- had a reason to stay away.  
***  
Rebecca debated telling any of her friends about the fallout between her and Emily for days -- especially in the case of Evie. More than anything, she was worried that their sympathy of the situation would be tainted by the eventual 'told you so.' While Rebecca knew that she rightfully deserved a few of those, she still couldn't bear to hear one quite yet.  
Eventually the need to talk things out won over her pride and she called Evie over for a quick lunch at the deli near her campus. Rebecca knew that her friend had a packed schedule with all of her classes so she sacrificed a better venue -- with fewer occupants -- in favor of having more time with Evie. Which she naturally used to beat around the bush for far too long.  
When Rebecca had picked at her sandwich for twenty minutes without actually attempting to eat it, Evie's patience finally snapped. She pulled the plate out from under Rebecca's hand and pulled it towards her before picking the sub up to take a bite. Rebecca didn't even get pissy at the action, she simply shrugged at the redhead and traced aimless patterns on the table where her sandwich had just been moments before.  
"Okay, what the fuck? Seriously?" Evie waved the sub under her friend's nose in disbelief. "Any other time you would attack me for stealing your food, but you just let me nab it without even a bitter word."  
"Guess I'm not hungry," Rebecca muttered.  
"Then why did you ask me to grab a bite with you?" Evie's usual loud volume fit in well with the college crowd since the deli was overflowing with students in large groups talking animatedly -- one had to shout just to be heard in the first place.  
"I needed an excuse to come see you," Rebecca shrugged. "Figured you wouldn't turn me down if it had something to do with food."  
"I wouldn't turn you down if you would have just said you needed to see me."  
Rebecca's pride flared up for a quick moment at Evie's choice of words. "I didn't say I needed to see you."  
Evie took another bite of Rebecca's abandoned sub before setting her friend with a look as she swallowed. "If you have to have an excuse to see me then it must be desperate. Therefore, you did need to see me."  
The pride rising in the brunette's chest was doused just as quickly as it had flared up at Evie's sound logic. How was she supposed to argue with the redhead when she was clearly in the right? Rebecca opted out of debating the point and instead shrugged again and muttered something unintelligible.  
"Would you just spill it already?" Evie rolled her eyes and huffed out an irritated breath. "This is getting painful, and that's coming from someone who's been studying for their calc finals for the last week."  
Rebecca leveled her gaze with Evie and chewed on her lower lip. She debated internally for a good long minute before she decided just to get the hard part over with already. Maybe after Evie reprimanded her she would be more willing to show Rebecca the support that she needed.  
"I quit my job. Things got too hard with the whole Emily thing. I know you probably want to tell me how you were right and I was wrong this whole time so just get it over with, but please make it quick."  
All of this rushed out of Rebecca's mouth in one breath to Evie's surprise and amusement. The redhead's brows shot up as she tried to catch everything Rebecca was throwing her way at lightning speed. Instead of doing what Rebecca expected of her though, Evie put the sandwich down and reached across the table to lay a soothing hand on Rebecca's.  
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.  
Rebecca glanced at the comforting action of her friend with speculation, just waiting for the false sympathy to drop already. When Rebecca decided that Evie was being genuine, her eyes lifted from the redhead's hand to her light blue eyes. Then with a trembling lip, she shook her head.  
"No. I'm not okay at all," Rebecca told Evie honestly, a slight tremor to her voice as she did. "Nothing feels okay anymore."  
Evie sighed. "I understand Bec. I mean, I have no idea what you're going through right now, but I understand that you're going through a tough time and I'm glad you came to me."  
"I figured you would want to get on me as soon as you heard," Rebecca muttered.

"Look, I know that I can be a bitch sometimes, but I'm not that mean." Rebecca set her friend with a pointed look and Evie corrected herself. "Okay I can be, but not when my best friend looks this upset. Besides, I'm only a bitch to you because you take it and dish it back. I thought that was one of the reasons why we were such good friends."  
"It is," Rebecca assured her. "I just know how much you've been riding my ass about this whole thing."  
"Well there's no need to anymore, is there? We can move on and just forget about it okay?" Evie suggested with a reassuring smile.  
Rebecca knew that she couldn't just pick up and move on after everything that happened, but it didn't mean that she couldn't start reforming her life into a new shape. She could be a little hung up on the thing with Emily without bringing her life to a standstill. It would just be crazy if that's what she planned on doing.  
"Yeah, okay," Rebecca agreed with a slight grin of her own.  
Evie glanced around at the rowdy crowd before looking back to Emily, "Have you ever thought about college Bec?"  
Rebecca quirked a brow at her friend's odd shift in gears. "Not really, no. I mean I hardly had the grades coming out of high school and God knows I don't have the cash to go now."  
"Perhaps not a university, but maybe we could get you into a community college. I'm sure with some grants you could take a light load of classes and still work full time to support yourself. It's just a thought really," Evie shrugged. "I just figured that maybe you need a whole new direction, you know?"  
The small grin that Rebecca was sporting turned into a full-blown smile at Evie's utter confidence in her. It was something that Rebecca had rarely ever experienced in life and it was why she loved the friends she had so much. Even Evie -- who could be abrasive as hell on most occasions -- had the ability to make Rebecca feel like she could do more than even she thought she could.  
"Now if I could just find another job my five year plan will be completely set," Rebecca said somewhat sarcatically.  
"You know what Knox? I think I got you covered there too," Evie replied with a wink and finished off the rest of Rebecca's sandwich.  
Rebecca stared longingly as the final bite went into Evie's mouth, finally feeling hungry now that her stomach wasn't twisted up into knots anymore. She glanced at Evie with a pair of sad puppy dog eyes and the redhead sighed in resignation. She knew exactly what Rebecca was trying to express through that pitiful gaze.  
"I'll go order another," Evie mumbled. "But when I get back we're gonna finish setting up 'Operation Back on Track.' Clear?"  
"Crystal," Rebecca said and leaned back in her chair.  
As she watched her friend stride off with a shaking head and a mutter under her breath Rebecca couldn't help but feel lucky. Even through the curve balls that life had thrown her recently, it was possible that everything was happening for a reason. Perhaps it was even happening for the better.  
Rebecca would like to think that was so.  
***  
Despite the fact that it was Emily's coffee shop, Rebecca walked into the Daily Grind a few weeks after her conversation with Evie. With a new job -- although essentially it was the same gig as she had held with Zendex, but that was neither here nor there -- she realized that her need for caffeine was much more essential again. Rebecca could have gone to just any cafe really, but this particular place had become a favorite of hers as well, so she considered the potential risk worth the gain.  
Even so, there was a flash of panic about seeing the blonde here, but it was quickly snuffed out at the realization that Emily always had someone else to get her coffee for her. Besides, she couldn't just monopolize the best cafe in town -- especially after Rebecca had fallen in love with the little blonde's drink order herself. It was actually a surprise that she hadn't had a macchiato from the Daily Grind since the last day of work at Zendex.  
Rebecca was lucky enough not to run into Emily while grabbing her coffee, but she did see another familiar face in the cafe. Amanda was sitting in much the same spot that she had the first time Rebecca had come into the Daily Grind, and just like last time the girl was absently drinking from the tallest cup that the coffee shop offered and typing away on her laptop. This wasn't the first time that Rebecca had seen the girl in such a way here, in fact on more than one occasion when Rebecca was picking up Emily's daily caffeine the two would nod to one another in recognition, but it never really went past that.  
Today, however, Rebecca decided that she would attempt to start a conversation with Amanda. She received her drink from the front counter and strode over to the near empty table that Amanda was working at and slipped into the seat across from the girl. Before Rebecca could even announce her presence the girl across from her spoke up, her eyes still glued to the screen in front of her all the while.  
"Good afternoon Rebecca," Amanda said pleasantly enough.

"You too," Rebecca replied, trying not to seem as startled as she was at the blonde's ability to multitask so well -- on top of her apparent peripheral mastery as well.  
"You too?" Amanda asked and looked up from typing. "That's hardly a greeting."  
Rebecca fiddled with the cup in her hands. "You kind of caught me off guard," she admitted.  
"It happens," Amanda said with a shrug as if this was just common logic around her and continued typing once more.  
Rebecca couldn't completely wrap her head around the girl. She was quite odd in the way that she handled herself socially, but the brunette kinda liked that. Amanda wasn't typical by any means and that was an agreeable change.  
"You don't mind me sitting her do you?"  
"Of course not. I would have said something if I did, wouldn't I?" The statement was posed as a question, but Rebecca didn't have to be a genius to know that it was completely rhetorical.  
"I suppose you would," Rebecca replied nonetheless. "I guess I meant that more as, I'm not bothering you am I?"  
The blonde glanced up at Rebecca for a lingering moment before she set her gaze back down to the laptop. "No."  
"Hmm."  
They settled into a silence that Rebecca found neither comfortable nor awkward. It was a weird in between space. Amanda seemed quite good at creating that.  
"I like your shoes by the way," Amanda muttered after a few moments.

Rebecca looked down at her strappy sandals and then back up to Amanda. "Thank you."  
"Where'd you get them?"  
With a slow smile, Rebecca regaled exactly how she had snagged the shoes at a recent sale. Amanda had input at all the right times of the story even her eyes rarely left the screen. She was odd, but it didn't mean that she was bad company by any stretch.  
After that day, Rebecca made it a habit to come into the Daily Grind a few times a week. She couldn't always make it in every day -- which was the days that Rebecca was a little more disgruntled and grumpy with her job than normal -- but she made it a point to come in on Fridays if nothing else so she could hang out and chat with Amanda. The two had struck up an unusual friendship but it wasn't unwanted to Rebecca by any means. In fact, she could use all the friends that life could throw at her right now.  
It was one of these particular Friday coffee meetings that an even more unlikely event happened than Rebecca and Amanda becoming fast friends -- Emily Frazier was picking up her own coffee.  
Rebecca didn't notice it at first -- she wasn't prone to lifting her head each time the bell over the door rang which signified a customer coming in and out -- but Amanda did. When the bottled blonde noticed Emily, she kicked Rebecca under the table and motioned with her head for the brunette to see the patron that had just entered. Thinking that someone was wearing something ridiculous or perhaps a cute guy had just come in -- which was something that Amanda always seemed to point out despite Rebecca's indifference -- she turned to look lethargically just before she found her jaw going slack.  
Rebecca turned away just as quick as she had looked, but it wasn't quick enough for Emily to miss her. Emily didn't immediately make her way over and Rebecca was thankful for that at least. Perhaps she wouldn't at all.  
Rebecca couldn't be so lucky though.  
After retrieving her order, Emily came over to the table where the two girls were sitting at and walked up behind Rebecca so quietly that the brunette didn't even hear her. Rebecca knew what was going on when Amanda's eyes looked over her shoulder and smiled pleasantly however. A chill ran through Rebecca's spine as soon as she realized what was going on. She tried to give Amanda a look to get rid of her, but instead her new friend smiled deviously and threw her to the sharks.  
"So good to see you Emily! I would love to stay and catch up, but I do have to get going. Such a shame. Anyways, why don't you keep Rebecca company? She just got here after all."  
Amanda got up from the table and gave Rebecca a good-natured pat on the shoulder before whispering something about how she was on her own now. Rebecca was sure that Amanda didn't hear the death threats that were muttered back in her quick retreat, but it made the brunette feel good to throw them out regardless. Emily obviously didn't hear either of these things -- or at least she pretended not to -- as she took Amanda's advice and sat across from Rebecca.  
The silence between them was nothing less than awkward. Neither really knew how to start a conversation with the other after their last few interactions. On top of that, there was such a mix of stubborn pride between Emily and Rebecca that it could choke any normal human being.  
Emily took the leap first and cleared her throat loudly before taking a sip of coffee -- as if it would boost her confidence a little more. "How are you?"  
"Good, good," Rebecca nodded without meeting the blonde's eyes. "You?"  
"Not bad." Which is basically the same as good. God forbid you say the same as me though, right Frazier? Rebecca thought to herself sarcastically. "Have you found a new job yet?"  
"I have." So don't even think about asking me to come back to work for you.  
"That's good. So, uh, what are you doing now?"  
Emily was trying hard to keep a friendly conversation going. She had guts to continue prodding at Rebecca, that much was certain. Rebecca just hoped that the blonde was referring to her current occupation with that question as opposed to possibly trying to discern whom she was doing in a subtle way.  
"Pretty much the same thing I was doing for you. Typical office stuff," Rebecca shrugged noncommittally. "My friend Evie is helping me get into a community college though. I kind of thought that I should give school another go. Broaden my opportunities and all that fun junk."  
Emily nodded. She was glad to hear some semblance of ambition from Rebecca. "That's good." When Emily was met with a look of speculation from Rebecca, she reiterated. "No, it really is."  
"Hmm. How's my replacement working out for you?" Rebecca asked in her own attempt to be civil now.  
"It's going well. He's a young kid, probably working through school himself. My guess is that he's a gay -- he doesn't give me a second glance most days," Emily rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled. "Either that or he isn't into blondes."  
"Must be one of the two right? Couldn't imagine your ego being able to handle someone just not being into you," Rebecca stated with a taunting grin.  
She couldn't help poking a jab at Emily. What was surprising was that she said it in jest and not spite. Rebecca managed to catch herself off guard at the realization.  
"Well you know what they say about blondes..." Emily trailed off.

"That they're the butt of the best jokes?" Rebecca answered with a wicked twinkle in her eye.  
Since this unscheduled reunion was happening on neutral grounds, Rebecca wasn't feeling so suffocated by Emily or her previous authority over her. This simple power shift made it much easier for her to be authentic. Evidently, that feeling was mutual between the two.  
Emily huffed in disdain. "I was going to say that real gentlemen prefer them, but according to our history I suppose your answer is pretty spot on too."  
Rebecca held a hand to her heart and made a face of pain. "Uh. Low blow Frazier."  
"You know how good I am at those," Emily chuckled and sipped her drink.  
"That and clinging to the past like nobody's business," Rebecca couldn't stop the comment from flowing past her lips and she quickly tried to amend it. "I'm sorry that was uncalled for."  
Emily held a hand up to stop the apology. "No, no. You're not wrong."  
"Hmm," Rebecca hummed in what the blonde assumed was her way of agreement. "So, uh, why are you getting your own coffee? Isn't that why you have a bitch boy in the first place?"

"He doesn't 'do' coffee. He only drinks tea," Emily rolled her eyes like that answered the question somehow. "Besides, I felt the need to get some fresh air away from the office. Nothing wrong with fetching your own coffee every now and again."

"You never seemed to have that attitude when I was bringing you a cup every day," Rebecca stated.  
"No, but you barely ever gave me the chance seeing how you always beat me to the punch," Emily shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, you always got something out of coming down here for me. And like I said before, he drinks tea."  
"Why Emily Frazier! It sounds like you're being a nice and fair employer for once!" Rebecca exclaimed with mock surprise.  
Emily chuckled, finding no offense in the joke whatsoever. "Thanks for teaching me how."  
"I don't recall doing anything of the sort."  
"Trust me on this one. You really did."  
Rebecca found her cheeks tingeing pink for some reason at the compliment. She had no idea why Emily's nice words affected her so much, but somehow they really got under her skin. In a completely positive way for once.  
"Can I be honest with you about something?" Emily asked, setting her eyes on the table and not on Rebecca for the first time in this exchange.  
Rebecca was afraid of what the blonde was bound to say, but it didn't stop her from uttering out a quiet, "Sure."  
"I really miss you. Not in the way that you probably think, well I mean I do miss that, but that's not the point..." Emily drew in a big breath and collected herself before trying again, "What I'm trying to say is that I miss seeing you every day. I miss talking and laughing and just spending time with you overall. Does that make any sense whatsoever?"  
Rebecca was definitely caught off guard by this admission from the stubborn blonde. Never in a million years did she expect Emily to admit how much she missed Rebecca's presence so openly. The brunette would have bet money that it would never happen in fact.  
While Rebecca was making imaginary bets, she didn't expect to have similar feelings about Emily -- but somehow through all the hurt of their recent 'break-up' she still did. Rebecca had a moment of debate on whether she should bring this up or not. Seeing how Emily had been brave enough to open up, Rebecca knew that she had to as well.  
"I miss you too," Rebecca confessed finally.

They considered each other silently and drank their respective coffees after this. Rebecca absently wondered if Emily had somewhere that she needed to be and was shirking her duty in order to spend a little more time with the brunette. Not that she was complaining at all. In fact, Rebecca might have to thank Amanda for the little nudge that she gave Rebecca in reconnecting with Emily -- begrudgingly of course.  
"I should probably go," Emily said, confirming what Rebecca had just been considering.  
Rebecca was somewhat pleased to see that Emily looked a bit sad at the prospect of leaving her. She did her best to mask the emotion and not to break out into a victory jig right then and there. It could wait until later.

"I understand," Rebecca responded with trained stoicism, before offering Emily a pleasant smile. "It's been nice catching up though."  
Emily chewed on her lip and searched the face across from her. Rebecca had been around Emily long enough to know there was something going on in that pretty little head of hers. She only hoped that it would spill out instead of staying locked up like it usually did.  
"Do you think you would maybe want to see each other again?" Upon seeing Rebecca's eyes widen Emily held her hands up and clarified her proposition. "I mean, like this. Completely platonic. For the sake of, you know, catching up or hanging out. Whatever you want to call it."  
"Oh," Rebecca uttered a bit lamely. She hadn't seen this coming, but it wasn't an unpleasant prospect. "Um, sure. I don't see why we couldn't do that."  
Emily's face broke out into the biggest grin that Rebecca had ever seen the girl wear. She was authentically happy by this response and for once, she was showing it on her sleeve. This caused Rebecca to smile a little wider unconsciously.

"Great. Well, I'll give you a call later and we can figure something out. How's that sound?" Emily couldn't hide her giddiness at the thought of seeing Rebecca again soon.  
"That sounds wonderful," Rebecca answered in utter truthfulness.  
"Okay," Emily said and stood from the table with coffee in hand. "I'll be seeing you then."  
Rebecca nodded. "See you Emily."  
They traded one more lingering glance at each other and then Emily headed out the door with a defined pep in her step. Rebecca sat back, just realizing now that she had been leaning forward to get closer to Emily as the conversation had drug on. She uttered a sigh and twisted the cup in her hand, thinking on what had just happened. Surprisingly she felt quite excited to see Emily again as well. It was likely that her personal life might be taking a turn for the better as well as her vocational life. It was nice for things to be on an upside for once.  
***  
Two days after their unexpected meeting, Emily called Rebecca to schedule a time for them to see each other again. Rebecca couldn't stop the giggles that erupted after she had hung up with Emily. Hearing the blonde sound so eager about seeing Rebecca again was absolutely adorable -- it was as if she wasn't even trying to wear her usual stone mask within the duration of their conversation.

They agreed to meet up at Emily's condo this Saturday and the prospect -- while not bad necessarily -- was nerve wracking to Rebecca. She was willingly putting herself back into a position where the blonde held all the power and the thought alone was slightly intimidating to Rebecca. On the flip side though, she would much rather be in Emily's space then the other way around. Rebecca wasn't ready to have Emily in a position to scrutinize and sniff out every little mistake in her apartment quite yet.  
Rebecca knew that she was probably over exaggerating in her fears. After all, Emily did seem very authentic about not wanting to push the brunette into anything again -- the blonde simply desired to hang out. This realization brought some comfort to Rebecca about going to Emily's home, but not much.  
In the coming days, this initial fear had been all but banished from Rebecca's thoughts as she tackled a new challenge. Her brain -- which was never as active as it had become recently -- began to replay every interaction between the two throughout Rebecca's time at Zendex and that generally ended up with the brunette squirming uncomfortably and trying her best to change tracks in her mind as quickly as possible.

It was sort of like trying to change the channel on a TV without having access to a remote though.  
This was only the start of Rebecca's journey of self-discovery, however. Soon it wasn't just how she was with Emily in her past job; it began to go back even further to the younger days between the two girls. Suddenly, Rebecca started seeing herself in a whole new light in the eyes of her adult brain -- which was arguably more perceptive than her younger one.  
How was it that Rebecca had gone from being Emily's daily tormentor in their youth to her personal bitch -- in every sense of the word -- as adults? She felt bad for the blonde and wanted to make things up to her by being a bit of a pushover, okay, sure that was reasonable. How in the hell did she become Emily's favorite fuck buddy without a single complaint or an ounce of resistance though? There was no logic to it.  
It was the exact opposite of logic actually, and it left Rebecca with only one answer: she had some serious repressed lesbian tendencies, and they were all aimed at Emily.  
What other explanation was there for Rebecca's reaction to her physical relationship with Emily? Not once did she really stop herself from pushing forward with the blonde. In fact, more often than not, she was planning the next time that she could charm her way into the girl's pants -- or skirt as it generally was -- as soon as the current encounter ended. If she were completely straight then her actions made no sense whatsoever.  
The way things played out made every bit of their relationship make sense. Why else was Rebecca so damn fixated on Emily throughout high school? Had she really deluded herself into thinking that just because Emily had made a simple mistake on their first meeting that it was worth crucifying the girl and putting every bit of energy into torturing her? For a while perhaps, but four fucking years? That was just insane.  
Maybe the whole time Rebecca was doing her best to torment Emily she was simply working even harder to outrun the confusing feelings she felt herself. If she projected all of that bad onto the blonde then she wouldn't have to face what was actually going on inside of her. The harder the brunette considered it, the thought became less of a perhaps and more of a most definitely.  
Hadn't Rebecca truly enjoyed spending time with Emily in their senior year for reasons she couldn't even explain to herself? It was only when it came crashing down on her that it may be a little unusual or strange did she lash out violently enough to send Emily into a deep seated depression that kept the blonde away for years. Knowing how weird her peers would find her homosexual feelings towards Emily could make her act that much worse then, couldn't it? Four years of hell for an innocent girl worse, perhaps?  
"Holy shit," Rebecca muttered to herself as she realized that perhaps she never truly knew herself at all. She had been wearing a mask for so long that it never occurred to her that she wasn't actually looking at her face in the mirror anymore. "Holy shit."  
***  
After Rebecca's bout of self-discovery, she seriously considered making an excuse to not see Emily and avoid the girl -- and by extent, her feelings -- for a while longer. The brunette knew that was a terrible decision however and so she concluded that it was something she had to do no matter how hard it was. Besides, as she had to tell herself daily anyways, she was no coward and it was finally time to prove that sentiment true.  
Rebecca did an excellent job disguising her inner turmoil when Emily greeted her and ushered her through the door with a wide smile. There would be a time and a place to talk about it, but it wasn't in this initial moment -- that was for damn sure. For now, Rebecca was just content to enter the warm house and shake off the night cold from her skin.  
"I hope it wasn't too hard to find the place," Emily said and led Rebecca into the living room.

She was putting on that good hostess attitude, which was a far cry to what Rebecca was used to from Emily. It was a nice change of pace from the typical though. Endearing, even.  
No sooner had Rebecca sat on the couch as Emily instructed did a white ball of fur bombard her. The cat that had appeared from seemingly nowhere looked up at Rebecca with wide blue eyes and mewed happily before settling onto the brunette's lap. Rebecca didn't even try to keep up pretenses; she absolutely melted at the small animal's immediate affection toward her.  
"Aww, what's her name?" Rebecca asked Emily and began to scratch the pretty white cat under the chin.  
"Marie."  
Rebecca smirked. "Oh. Like from the Disney movie?"  
Emily looked amused at this assessment, "Good guess, but no. I was thinking more of your old friend when I named her."  
"As in Marie Ronson?" Rebecca asked with a quirked brow, her fingers still absently scratching the cat's neck. "Why?"  
"Because she's an idiot who whines entirely too much," Emily chuckled and motioned to the feline. "Also she's a big suck up to you, so that just confirms that I named her perfectly."  
"Well that's not a very nice thing to say, is it Marie?" Rebecca asked the cat, who simply purred in her biased agreement to what Rebecca said.  
"Case in point," Emily replied with a roll of her eyes. "I was just going to pour myself a glass of wine, can I get you anything to drink?"  
"Whatever you're having," Rebecca replied absently and continued to coo at the cat. Marie hammed it up for Rebecca so spectacularly that the brunette was completely under the little cat's spell.  
"You're not helping your case at all Becca," Emily muttered and walked off with a shake of her head and a laugh.  
When Emily returned with two glasses in her hand, she found Rebecca with her attention trained to her lap, but without the presence of Marie now. The aura around the brunette was significantly thicker than it was a moment before and Emily had to wonder if she was feeling uncomfortable with being here. Perhaps it would have been better to invite her somewhere more public.

Emily cleared her throat to propose this very thing but Rebecca held up a hand before she could even get a word out. "Before you say anything, I need to tell you something."  
Emily nodded and set the glasses of wine on the table next to the couch before taking a seat next to Rebecca. "Okay. Go ahead."  
"Well, first things first I suppose. I'm sorry for what happened back in our senior year. I mean, I'm sorry for high school in general really, but what I did to you that last time we talked...that wasn't right. It was just low. No, it was beyond low."  
"Don't worry about it," Emily replied in a muted voice.  
Rebecca nodded slowly. "That doesn't mean that you accept my apology though. I don't expect you to either, but, well just hear me out here. Okay?"  
Emily made a motion for Rebecca to carry on. The brunette inhaled a breath and locked her jaw. Whatever it was that she had to say, the blonde could tell that it wasn't easy for her to admit.  
"I think, no I know, why I've been horrible to you for so long. It's been hard to admit to myself and honestly it was because I had no idea really, but lately I guess I've just started to see things differently and the fact is that...Oh God, I'm rambling like an idiot." Rebecca closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "I think that this whole time I've just been lying to myself about how much I liked you."  
Emily blinked in confusion. "Come again?" she finally managed to say.  
"I liked you. That's why I was so mean to you. I liked you and I just couldn't admit it so I tortured you instead," Rebecca tried desperately to make the blonde understand what she was saying. It was hard enough to admit it to herself, but admitting it to Emily ended up being a million times worse.  
"You know that makes absolutely no sense right?"  
"Oh yeah?" Rebecca asked with a challenging glare. "Then explain to me why little boys tease little girls on the playground and tug on their pigtails."  
Emily pursed her lips in thought and Rebecca did her best not to stare at them. It was extremely hard though with how delectable they looked. It would be so easy to just lean forward and push mine against them and... Stop it! Rebecca reprimanded herself and folded her arms across her chest to keep herself in place.  
"Okay, that makes a little sense. Can I ask you something though?" Emily proposed as she chewed on her lip thoughtfully.  
"Of course."  
"During senior year, was all that time we spent together just for the purpose of pulling a really cruel prank?"  
Rebecca drug a deep breath in before expelling it roughly. "That's how it started, but by the end...no. By the end of it all, I was really happy to be around you. Then I panicked and did my best to hurt you as much as I knew how. It's one of those moments in my life that I look back on and find that I'm not very proud with myself."  
Emily examined the sullen brunette for a silent moment before she passed over the glass of wine, which Rebecca took without a word. She couldn't stop looking at Rebecca from the corner of her eye. The way that she twirled the stem of the glass in her fingers, the pulled brows over scowling eyes, the usually plump lips pulled into a tight line.  
As ironic as it was, Emily couldn't stand watching Rebecca beat herself up. She leaned closer to Rebecca and whispered, "Do you know what I'm proud of?"  
"Hmm?" The sound came out like a growl from Rebecca's throat.  
"Your ability to admit when you're wrong," Emily smiled and put a reassuring hand on Rebecca's arm. "I think that's a very admirable trait that we don't all have. I know I struggle with it from time to time."  
"But I thought you were perfect?" Rebecca asked, the teasing clear in her voice despite how small it sounded to her own ears.  
Emily patted Rebecca's arm and grinned. "Only compared to you."  
Rebecca rolled her eyes and delivered a light shove to Emily before flopping her back against the couch. "Is there any way that we could just, I don't know, start over? I understand that you can't just forgive and forget, but I really would like a new beginning if it's at all possible."  
"Eventually the bad blood has to be put to rest right?" Emily asked, more to herself than Rebecca. "Perhaps it would be best for both of us."  
One of the brunette's perfectly sculpted brows rose in question. "What do you mean?"  
"You want a chance to show me the new you -- which you completely deserve after everything I've put you through in these past months -- and I need to just get over it, as you've put it so many times," Emily shrugged, "So let's make it happen. No more allusions to our past and the people we used to be -- a completely fresh start."  
Rebecca grinned. "I like this idea."  
"Me too," Emily lifted her glass and held it up to Rebecca. "To a clean slate."  
"I'll drink to that," Rebecca said and touched the edge of her glass to Emily's before taking a sip. She set her glass down and fiddled with the hands in her lap, not exactly sure where to segue from here. "So, uh, what now?"  
"Your guess is as good as mine," Emily replied with a shrug.  
She said that instead of uttering the chuckle that wanted to bubble up at Rebecca's sudden shy nature. The girl really was adorable without even trying. Some things never really changed she supposed.  
Post High School: Emily Frazier  
I had no idea how much I had truly been oppressed until I started college. There was a definite idea of how bad it was between home and school, but strolling along the campus and breathing the fresh air without a care in the world -- or anyone to tell me what to do -- was the most freeing feeling I had ever experienced in my life. Sure, I had classes to go to, but I didn't have to if I didn't want to. That would definitely upset my potential future if I didn't, but that was my choice to make now.  
There had never been a time in my life where anything was my choice and now everything was up to me. What classes I took, what places I visited and what people I gave the time of day to. All of it was wonderful -- simply and truly wonderful.  
It was incredible -- and admittedly scary -- to realize that surviving high school had all been a test to see where the rest of my life would go. If I would have let Becca Knox and her idiot bitchy friends get to me, I would have never been able to experience the crazy, chaotic life that was college. Still, it was my choice to embrace this crazy and chaotic life.  
That's not to say that it was all sunshine and roses of course. The classes were difficult and the study hours were horrendous. Most of the professors had a stick up their ass that had been lodged deep since the eighties, which gave them a pretentious air to the likes that I had never known before. However, despite all of this, I didn't have to share that little bit of hell with the likes of my neglectful parents or my high school tormentors. The good evened out the bad for the first time in my life -- and after the bad winning by a landslide for the past four years or so, I could deal with a couple of stuck up assholes and long nights cracking books.

So college was good for life and surprisingly it was good at getting me out of the shell that I had encased myself in for so long. Before I knew it, I was actually socializing with people and having a good time at that. I was invited to my first party without it being the butt end of a joke. People wanted me around for once.  
I never let anyone in though. The scars of my past and the people that had laid them into my soul, never disappeared. So even though I had friends, none of them really knew me. I couldn't ever let them get too close.

It wasn't until my second year of college that I finally let someone into the steel walls that surrounded my heart without even being aware of the fact -- and her name was Hayley.  
Generally, you met new people in one of two ways during the college experience. There's classes, which always led to longer, stronger friendships because of the mutual interests or there's the old 'a friend of a friend whose second cousin was my old roommate' routine. I met Hayley through the first avenue thankfully.  
I had finally narrowed down my career options away from the 'traditional' art route to focus on advertising instead. I had always known that I was quite business savvy when I put my mind to it and figured I could kill two birds with one stone by going down this way instead of trying to sell my work in a gallery and living out the whole starving artist thing. It didn't stop me from taking way more classes for art in general than was necessary though -- I did still love the rush I got from drawing after all.  
Hayley and I became acquainted in one of the advanced classes I was taking. She was an incredible artist that specialized in paintings and unlike me, she was more than happy to live the lifestyle of starving artist -- in fact, she embraced it like it was her destiny. The whole concept was very romantic to her. It was as if her soul was stuck in the bohemian revolution or the Renaissance.

That was what I found very appealing about her however. She wasn't like most of the people I had met in my college experience. She wasn't in it for the money or the prestige, she simply wanted to create great work and reinvent the way people looked at art in general. A lofty goal, but one that was worth stretching for in my opinion.  
Of course, it wasn't only her spirit that attracted me to Hayley. She had the most soulful hazel eyes, light brown with flecks of green and gold that seemed to sparkle when she was in a particularly good mood. Her chestnut hair was like spun silk and the softest that I had ever touched in my life. And her smile, my God, it was the most vibrant and appealing smile ever to grace someone's face.

In short, Hayley was perfect. Which was exactly why I was so cautious in getting to know her -- let alone, allowing her anywhere near my heart. Unfortunately -- or fortunately depending on the way you looked at the situation -- for me, Hayley had completely different ideas.  
After a few weeks of smiles and simple greetings, Hayley turned to me and asked if I wanted to go out for coffee after class. I was sure that she just wanted to discuss the current project we had or perhaps exchange ideas for recreational compositions. There wasn't any other reason I could see her asking.  
When I brought this up however, she just laughed lightly and put a hand on my arm. "No, no, no. I meant would you like to go out for coffee. As in, would you like to go out with me?"  
"Oh," I said quite lamely.  
This was a first for me so I was hoping my pathetic behavior would be excused. Never in my life had I been asked out and especially not by someone with the caliber of looks that Hayley possessed -- and especially not by someone of my own sex. It made me wonder if she was batting in the dark or if she had known of my preferences from the get go.  
"Not interested?" Hayley asked with a raise of her brow and a small smile. She didn't seem affected in the least by my idiotic response to her question.  
"No!" I quickly backpedaled. "I mean, yes, I'm interested!"  
Hayley's smile grew and her features morphed into that of authentic amusement at my behavior. Maybe she was into the whole bumbling idiot thing. I could be so lucky.  
"Wonderful," she said simply.

I had no idea what to expect about going out with Hayley. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do or say and so I ended up quiet and a bit detached to the whole situation. The beautiful brunette didn't take this as a sign of me being uninterested thankfully. She just prodded gently at me and eventually got me talking about my love of art -- the one thing she knew we both had in common -- and I was pretty much gone after that.  
Hayley was very aware I was damaged goods just by the way I held myself. The way that I walked and talked and did just about anything. I think she found that endearing about me though. I was no different from her ideals about being a starving artist -- perhaps not what society would normally accept, but still beautiful and romantic in her eyes.  
She never asked me about the things in my past that made it hard to open up and I was happy about that at the time. As I got older, I wished she would have pried just a tad more, but in the throes of young love, all I cared about was her acceptance of who I was. It was all I had desired throughout my life and finally I was getting a taste of that happiness I had been told that I would never achieve.  
To hell with Becca Knox and her opinions.  
Despite not knowing or discussing what my internal scars were Hayley had an idea on how to cover them up. We had been dating for about six months or so when she brought the proposal up to me -- a makeover. A new look for the new life I was living essentially. However, I was not very receptive to the idea at first.  
"A makeover? Really? What's wrong with how I look now?" I asked her with a slight edge to my voice. Already my defenses were going up at the thought.  
"Nothing at all. I just thought it might give you a new outlook on things, maybe even a new attitude toward your life," Hayley explained.  
I drew aimless patterns on her naked skin and laid my head back on her chest as I mulled it over. She was clever to bring this up right after we had made love. If there were ever a time that my defenses were down it would definitely be right now.  
"What did you have in mind?" I mumbled and felt her shrug underneath me.  
"I didn't really have a plan, but I can think of a few things that would do the trick." Hayley twirled a lock of my blonde hair in her fingers. "Maybe we could start with a haircut. I was thinking something shorter than what you have now."  
I lifted my chin and set her with a pointed look. "I'm not butch you know."  
"Oh no, not that short." Hayley closed one eye and brought two fingers through my hair as if she was measuring it out for a cut, stopping when it was just under my chin, "About there I think."  
"Okay," I replied slowly. It didn't seem that bad. At least if it was done right. "Anything else?"  
Hayley smiled now that I was getting into this idea. "We could get you to start dressing more professionally."  
"Now there's something wrong with how I dress?"  
My brunette girlfriend kissed the tip of my nose and giggled. "Always so defensive about new ideas aren't you baby? I didn't mean it like that at all. It was more like...planning for the future. Do you really think they'll let you wear jeans and a t-shirt to all those meetings you'll have to attend someday?"  
I grumbled about her logic and hid my face against her skin once more. Hayley chuckled at my defeat and ran her hands through my hair. "I will miss doing this, but I'm sure I'll get used to it."

"Mmm," I hummed and settled against her more comfortably. Her hands were working magic and softly lulling me into a very content sleep against her warm skin.  
Within the coming weeks, Hayley helped me transition my look into the grand plan she had. I could tell she was painting my new look like I was one of her blank canvases during the makeover. She had an idea in her head on how to turn me into a beautiful picture and I'll be damned if she didn't do a hell of a job. After it was all said and done, I actually felt pretty for the first time in my life. It was a strange concept for me to grasp.  
Unfortunately, the happiness I felt with the lively brunette wouldn't be one that lasted through the ages, as I once believed. The longer we were together the more we seemed to drift apart. She had certain dreams that began to seem less appealing and more ridiculous to me, while her own opinions about my future were just as unpleasant. I was nothing more than a corporate puppet in the making to Hayley.

By the time that the ink dried on my diploma, Hayley and I were nothing but a memory. I didn't let it deter me from the course I had set for myself at all. I was still determined to be successful and make something of myself despite all of the people in my life that had told me otherwise, I just wasn't going to have her at my side when I did it anymore.  
The only real repercussion of our relationship was the walls I built around my heart again. It was nice while it lasted, but I realized that relationships just weren't something that fit me. I was much better off keeping the world at arm's length and focusing solely on what I could do for myself. That way nothing could really get under my skin and hurt me in the end. All in all, it was a damn good plan that took me quite far.

Despite being wet behind the ears in my field of choice, I found a company that was just as green as I -- Zendex Media. We hit it off spectacularly and before I knew it, I was living my dream. I was doing something that was meaningful and I was doing it well.  
Everything was working out for me exactly how I wanted it too. All the pieces were finally fitting into place after so many years of disasters and torment. Everything was right.  
+  
That was until a tall statuesque brunette walked into my office one day in search of a job and just happened to come knocking on my door -- motherfucking Becca Knox.


	7. Emily

"You're kidding me right?" Emily asked with a blank stare.  
Rebecca had to be joking. There was no way she was being honest. However, by the red flush creeping up her neck to fill out her cheeks in a healthy pink shade, Emily concluded that she was not kidding.  
"Winifred," Emily repeated back to the brunette. "Your middle name is Winifred." Rebecca nodded. "Why do your parents hate you?"  
Rebecca looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's not that bad," she mumbled out, quite unconvincingly. "And it's a family name. My great grandmother's name was Winifred."  
"And I'm sure it fit with her and the time she was living in. I don't see it with you though." Emily shrugged, trying her best not to just burst out laughing like she wanted so badly to. She didn't want to slight Rebecca's feelings though, especially after sharing something personal.  
"Okay what's your middle name then?" Rebecca asked and lifted her chin with an air of defiance. "I'm sure it just fits you perfectly, right?"  
Emily shrugged. "It's Alexis."  
It wasn't a big deal to tell Rebecca about her own name. Whether it fit or not was completely irrelevant really. It wasn't embarrassing and that was all that mattered. Besides, Emily was sure that her parents hadn't spent more than twenty minutes naming her. They probably just picked a name a piece out of a book and then played rock, paper, scissors to see who got the first and middle slots.  
Rebecca's haughty nature fell before she uttered a single disappointed sigh. "Dammit."  
"What?"  
"That sounds good actually," Rebecca admitted and said the blonde's name aloud, "Emily Alexis Frazier. There's a nice ring to it."  
I wonder if it would have the same ring if her surname were different. Emily Alexis Knox. Hmm...  
"Space case?" Emily asked and snapped a finger in front of Rebecca's face.  
"What?" she said and abruptly pulled away from her wild fantasy. "Yeah, sorry. I'm here."  
"Where were you though?" Emily asked with a smile, canting her head to the side to observe the brunette thoughtfully.  
Rebecca darkened to an even deeper shade red and shook her head. There was no way she was going to share what she had just been considering. Emily already wanted to pin her pride to a wall with the stupid name her parents graced her with, no point in making it even worse.  
"Nowhere. Just thinking...about names," Rebecca covered quickly. At least it wasn't a complete lie.  
"Like what you're going to legally change yours to as soon as you can?" Emily asked, not even trying to suppress the chuckle this time. "I'm sorry Becca, it was just too easy."  
Rebecca regarded Emily with a contemplative look. She had completely ignored the blonde's jab at her and considered something altogether different. It was funny how things always seemed to bubble to the surface around Emily.  
"You wanna hear a story?"  
Emily nodded. "Sure"  
"Around my nineteenth birthday or so I stopped going by Becca. Not everyone listened to me at first -- especially not my parents since they had called me by the nickname my whole life -- but there was just something about it that I wanted to get away from." Rebecca turned her gaze from Emily and furrowed her brows in thought. "When I stopped talking to my family I stripped the name from my life completely. I would meet new people and always introduce myself as Rebecca and refuse to let them call me anything else. The only exception has been my closest friends who call me Bec every now and again, but somehow that's different."  
"I'm sorry," Emily muttered looking decidedly shameful now.

Rebecca quirked a brow. "For what?"  
"I've only been calling you Becca to be a pain in the ass. Okay, if I'm being really honest I can't see you as anything besides Becca, but I think you understand what I'm saying," Emily shrugged. "I don't want to be a bitch anymore -- at least not to you -- so I'll call you Rebecca if you prefer."  
"It's really weird, but I would actually prefer if you didn't," Rebecca laughed in a self-deprecating kind of way and shook her head as if she couldn't understand her own motives. "For some reason, I can't even fathom hearing you call me Rebecca. It just sounds wrong coming from your mouth."  
"Perhaps it's the history we have?" Emily suggested.

Rebecca shrugged. "Perhaps. Or it might be that I never wanted anyone to call me Becca once you weren't around to."  
Emily grinned. "I'd like to believe that."  
Rebecca toed the ground, with the smallest smile on her lips. "Yeah. Me too."  
***  
Despite the intensity of Rebecca's schedule, trying to balance a part time job and a few classes every quarter for school -- not to mention the increasing amount of time that she had been spending with a certain someone again -- she still found time to continue her Friday afternoon tradition with Amanda. Rebecca really liked something about the odd and detached girl. She wasn't opinionated or passionate like Evie and she definitely wasn't overprotective like Celia. Amanda was just Amanda, and the change of pace was like a breath of fresh air.

To Rebecca's great surprise, Amanda wasn't in her laptop or phone for once when the brunette made her way into the coffee shop. Instead, Amanda gazed out of the window with a lazy and uninterested expression, every now and again bringing the cup in front of her to her lips without ever tearing her eyes away from the outside. Rebecca rolled her eyes at the change in Amanda's usual routine -- though there was no change to her demeanor judging by that face -- before walking up to the table and taking a seat across from the blonde.  
"Afternoon," Rebecca said cheerfully. For some reason the brunette had been in a spectacular mood lately and she hadn't been afraid to show it at all.  
"Hey," Amanda replied and turned to look at Rebecca.  
Rebecca's brows rose in surprise. "Did you just acknowledge my existence? Really?"  
Amanda scowled. "Don't I always?"  
"Not with eye contact," Rebecca shrugged.  
Amanda rolled her eyes and turned away with a scoff. "Better?"  
"Oh, come on. I was just messing around," Rebecca said and shoved the blonde's shoulder lightly. "Don't be a grump."  
"Remind me why I let you hang around me again?"  
"Hmmm," Rebecca hummed and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Because no one else knows how to talk to you without feeling extremely awkward?"  
Amanda shook her head and laughed lightly. Getting the stoic blonde to laugh was something of an accomplishment to Rebecca. It was harder than getting a non-bitchy response from Emily in her time at Zendex.

"Well that's their problem not mine," Amanda replied and turned in her seat again to look at Rebecca.  
"Everything going all right?" Rebecca asked, seemingly out of nowhere. There wasn't any real change in the blonde's behavior necessarily, but there was still something slightly off from the usual aloofness that Amanda exhibited.  
"Fine," she said quickly. "Why do you ask?"  
Rebecca shrugged. "No real reason, you just seem off today. Well, more off than normal I suppose."  
"Shots fired," Amanda grunted under her breath, before shaking her head. "It's nothing really, just been doing some thinking lately."  
"About?"  
"What's with the third degree?" Amanda snapped back.  
"I just want to make sure you're okay is all. I would do it for any of my friends," Rebecca hesitated and really searched the face of the girl across from her. "We are friends, aren't we?"  
It was Amanda's turn to shrug. "Yeah, I guess we are," she mumbled.  
Rebecca backed off a bit to give the blonde some space. She knew how much she hated it when Evie came in interrogating every little thing and she didn't want to come across like that at all. Especially because Amanda seemed like the kind of person that would just go off if you touched the wrong button. It was like disarming a landmine or something.  
"Sometimes I feel like I'm not sure what I'm doing with my life anymore," Amanda said very quietly. So quiet in fact that Rebecca had to lean in to catch the next bit that left the girl's mouth. "Like maybe I've just been going through all the motions, but I'm not exactly sure where I'm trying to end up."  
Rebecca could relate to that. "I know how you feel. I'm just starting to head down the path that I feel like I was made for and I still have no idea where I'm even going."  
"Which is exactly why I've been thinking about this lately."

"What do you mean?" Rebecca furrowed her brows in confusion.  
"You're just figuring it out now and look at how old you are. I really need to get my shit together so I don't end up in the same place," Amanda gave Rebecca an apologetic shrug. "No offense."  
"None taken," Rebecca growled. Which displayed just how much offense wasn't taken by the blonde's quip.  
"Look, when you came to work for Frazier you were a fucking mess, right? And that was only a few short months ago. Now you have things starting to work themselves out and there's a whole different confidence about you. I mean you're so damn peppy most of the time that I'm tempted to spill a hot drink all over your lap some days," Amanda chewed on her lower lip and spoke in an extremely small voice in comparison to her previous speech. "I want that."  
Rebecca's brows flew up into her hairline. "You want to be peppy? Is this a sign of the apocalypse? I don't ever remember the preachers talking about it amongst the colored horses and shit, but I feel like it's a definite indication that the end is near."  
"You're a bitch."  
"Oh, thank God," Rebecca clapped a hand to her chest and heaved a great sigh. "There's the Amanda I know."

 

"Seriously," Amanda said with a stoic face. "You're a bitch."  
Rebecca patted Amanda's arm and smiled. "Its okay, I believe that it's really you. No need to convince me any further."  
Amanda uttered a growl of frustration, and ran a hand through her hair. "Why do I put up with you?"  
For the second instance in Rebecca's time knowing the girl, she compared her to Emily -- or more accurately, she compared their hair. It was true that Amanda was a pretty girl, but the blonde that she dyed her locks was unappealing to Rebecca -- at least in contrast to Emily's natural color. Of course, Rebecca knew she was probably just being biased in this opinion.

"We established that earlier," Rebecca muttered trying to shake off the distraction of Emily that was dancing around in her head now.  
Not that it was unpleasant by any means, but Rebecca found herself unable to shake the blonde from her thoughts anymore. It was as if everything reminded her of Emily in one way or another. On one level it was kind of cute how infatuated she was -- especially now that she was being honest with herself about her feelings -- but on another level she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to get tangled up with Emily ever again. They were quite a volatile combination together and surely there was bound to be explosions if they got too close -- and not just the happy, feel good, make your toes curl kind of explosions either.  
"Thinking about her again?" Amanda asked and took a deep drink from her cup.  
"Huh?"  
"Emily," Amanda clarified. "You were thinking of Emily again."  
Rebecca's brows pulled together in a tight line and she instantly became defensive at the mention of the other blonde. "Of course not. What would give you that idea?"  
"Because you get all spacey when she comes up in the conversation. Or when you see her. Or when you're thinking of her. Like right now."  
The brunette could have tried to deny it but instead, she just mumbled around her cup. "Shut up."  
Amanda smiled deviously in her obvious triumph. "So how is your girlfriend anyways?"  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Rebecca answered much too quickly -- and aggressively -- for her words to be taken seriously.  
"Uh-huh," Amanda replied in a very unconvinced tone. "So she's well I take it."  
"God, I hate you."  
"Now that's the real core to this friendship. Mutual hatred. It's kind of wonderful isn't it?"  
"You see, this is exactly why I have a hard time thinking that you would ever want any pep in your life," Rebecca said with a scowl. "I think that if any amount of pep crept into that black heart of yours you would simply keel over and die."  
"Fair enough," Amanda replied, completely unfazed by Rebecca's words. "It doesn't mean that I don't want to be happy though -- and let's be honest, we both know that I'm not happy."  
"I just thought that this was your normal state of being," Rebecca replied. It wasn't a shot at Amanda, it was simply how she believed the girl truly was.  
"Ignoring that ignorant outburst," Amanda said with a wave of her hand. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, and if you ever repeated it I would deny it to my dying breath, but...well I want what you have with Emily. Even if the thought of it makes me want to puke my guts up. Like, she doesn't even care that you're a giant loser, she's still willing to stand by you."  
"Okay, let's get a few things straight real quick. First off, I am not a loser. Second, Emily and I don't have anything."  
Amanda blinked a few times as if she was staring at something that was very hard to comprehend. "You're really fucking dense aren't you?"  
"What are you talking about?" Rebecca asked, the scowl on her face deepening to the point where the frown lines were in danger of permanently etching into her skin  
"You are aware that she really wants you right?" Amanda quirked a brow. "Or are you actually that oblivious?"  
"No, I knew..." Rebecca muttered under her breath. "It's just not a good idea."

"Why not?"  
Rebecca's mouth was a tight line as she asked. "What's with the third degree Amanda?"  
"I thought that's what you did with your friends?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.  
Should have known that was going to backfire at some point, Rebecca thought bitterly and sighed. "It just wouldn't look good."  
"Again I ask, why? It's not like you're working for her and whatever bullshit history you have obviously isn't relevant anymore. So what the hell would look so bad?" Amanda waited for a response from Rebecca, but when she didn't get one she began to laugh. "Oh I see. This is a pride issue or something, right? How silly."  
"You wouldn't understand," Rebecca replied, but even she didn't sound convinced by her lame excuse.  
"Sure I wouldn't. It's so hard to understand two prideful bitches not wanting to be the first one to bow to the other. That's impossible to grasp. How could I ever begin to know what that would be like?"  
"Okay captain sarcasm. I fucking get it."  
"Do you?"  
Rebecca set Amanda with such a glare that the girl physical reeled from it. The blonde held her hands up in surrender and averted her eyes from Rebecca's death stare. Let it never be said that Rebecca couldn't tap into that old Becca Knox attitude when she wanted or needed it -- except in the case of Emily who seemed to have grown immune to that superpower.  
"Can we just drop it?" Rebecca asked, softening her voice to offset her attitude from moments before. "For now at least?"  
"Yeah," Amanda mumbled and set her eyes back outside the window.  
Rebecca watched her odd little friend for a while without saying anything. She knew that it wasn't very nice to unleash her frustration of the situation off on Amanda, but it was still touchy enough that she didn't even try to think about it most of the time. When it came to Emily, Rebecca was just winging it until she found some clarity about things.  
"You know what?" Rebecca asked the girl softly.  
"Hmm?"  
"I don't doubt that you'll find whatever it is you're looking for and I don't think it'll take you nearly as long as it took me. You're a lot more driven than I've ever been," Rebecca admitted. "So don't get hung up on it. You're not a giant loser."  
Amanda pressed her lips together in a tight line and looked at Rebecca's in a sideways glance. "Neither are you."  
"Okay then."  
Another beat of silence surrounded the two before Amanda spoke up again. "Do me a favor?"  
"What's that?"  
"Just...think about what I said. About Emily I mean."  
Rebecca nodded. "I will."  
Oh yes, I will. Because the truth is Amanda dear, I can't stop thinking about the girl. The damnable woman won't leave my mind for two seconds, so I'll be sure to add the fuel of your words to the Emily bonfire that's already burning in the back of my brain. Don't even worry about it for a second.  
"Cool," Amanda replied. "Oh and this conversation never happened. None of it."  
"Agreed," Rebecca nudged the blonde's cup with her own and then drained the rest of her coffee. "I've got to head out. Night classes."  
"Good luck," Amanda said and focused her attention back to her own little world. Rebecca nodded and stood from the table. She threw her empty cup in the trash and headed towards the door. Before she could make it out Amanda's voice rang out once more. "Make sure that your mind doesn't wander too much."  
Rebecca froze with one hand on the door. She contemplated turning around and giving Amanda a piece of her mind. In the end, she just pushed the door open and made her way out into the breezy afternoon with a single word on her lips.  
"Bitch."  
***  
Rebecca was having a bad day.  
She broke a heel on her way into work. One of the guys in the office wouldn't get the hint that she wasn't into him and so she had to put up with a barrage of his cheesy pickup lines again. Her boss chewed her out for the stupidest shit and to make it worse it was something that she had no control over. She had to suffer through math and the over-the-top professor that came with that territory. It didn't help that math was her least favorite subject but it was necessary for any degree that she was going to get so it was a must. On top of all that, she was an hour late getting to Emily's -- and that was the one hope for a little bit of relaxation she had today.  
"Sorry I'm late," Rebecca said as she walked through the door and right past Emily on her way to the living room. "Stupid professor kept us twenty minutes later than he was supposed to and then I almost ran out of gas on the way over and...well let's just say it was a shit day."

She flopped down on the couch and let her head fall back against it with a groan. Emily handed her a glass of wine without being prompted and Rebecca seized it gratefully before taking a deep swig. Emily sat next to Rebecca and laid her head on the brunette's shoulder with a content sigh.  
"I'm sorry Becca. I hate it when things don't go as planned."  
"That's 'cause you're a control freak."  
"I like to think of myself as an astute planner actually," Emily said in correction.  
Rebecca chuckled and took another drink before setting the glass down. "Whatever makes you happy."  
Emily was on the verge of saying something along the lines of 'you do' but stopped herself at the last moment. There was more honesty and openness between them, but when it came to the super intimate stuff it was still like treading across a barren wasteland with no water in sight -- better to not brave it if you absolutely didn't have to. Maybe that meant they were both just afraid of the outcome, but in this instance Emily was fine being blissfully ignorant about what could be in exchange for what they had. Someday it might change, but that day was not today. At least not for Emily.  
"You know I'm surprised it took you this long to go to college honestly," Emily said in an attempt to change the course of where her thoughts were taking her. "Not that you were ever an academic by any means, but you were hell of a cheerleader. Didn't you get any athletic scholarships?"  
"I did. Tons actually, but the summer after senior year I broke my leg and it was never the same again. So my cheering days flew away like dust in the wind." Rebecca put on a fake smile as if it didn't affect her at all.  
Emily saw right through that face though. "You can wax poetic all you want, but that must have been hard for you."  
"Like you wouldn't believe," Rebecca admitted with a sigh. "It may seem stupid, but I loved it. Flying through the air as if I was weightless and putting together intricate routines, hell I even miss the backbreaking practices. I always figured I would take it somewhere since it was all I had, but then I fucked it all up."  
"I'm sorry." Emily linked her fingers with Rebecca's without really thinking about it. Rebecca accepted the gesture just as automatically. "What do you miss most about it all? If it's not too painful to talk about that is."  
"No I can talk about it. Just because I'll never do it again doesn't mean I can't remember things fondly," Rebecca shrugged. "Besides that was so long ago now, I've had to get over the sad fact you know?" Emily nodded. "I suppose I could say I miss it all but that would be a bit vague wouldn't?"  
"It would still be true."  
"Yeah it would, but I'm guessing that you wanted something specific." Rebecca grinned at Emily who nodded again. "There's so much there that I could say, but I think the thing I miss the most is the ambition. Cheering was the only thing in my life that I really put my head into a hundred percent. Like, I could give a fuck about math or history, but when it came to learning a new routine it was all or nothing.

"I would stay up until two in the morning watching videos of old performances to get an idea of the next big thing for me and the girls to do. Coach Aldrich and I would spend hours going over the logistics of what could be done for our next tournament until we had created something of utter perfection -- because neither of us would accept anything less. The drive I had for the sport was intense and it created such an adrenaline rush that I would get high just thinking about it."  
Emily untangled her hand from Rebecca's as gently as she could and picked up a pad of paper and a box of pencils that sat on the end table next to the couch before she began to sketch while Rebecca spoke. Emily wore a funny little smile as her companion told stories of the past and what she had missed most about it. To Emily's pleasure, Rebecca didn't speak about the endless barrage of pranks or the bitchy companions she once had surrounded herself with, but only of her love of cheerleading.  
Rebecca looked to her left as she continued her story and watched Emily's hand move across the page with determination. She spoke quieter than before, observing as the blondes face would scrunch up right before she erased something or how she would quickly swap her pencil out for one of the colored ones in the box with such enthusiasm that the previous tool would rattle around for a moment only to be picked up again seconds later. Eventually Rebecca's words trailed off as she became so engrossed in watching Emily in her natural element. She wasn't playing businesswoman or hard ass right now, she was just an artist -- and as Rebecca had recently found out, this was how Emily had dove into advertisement in the first place, through her love of art.

"Can I see?" Rebecca asked softly.  
Emily glanced up with a timid expression and chewed her lip. It appeared as though she were internally debating over showing Rebecca what she had been working or not. Eventually though, the blonde nodded in agreement and handed the pad over.  
Rebecca looked over the sketch of a young girl flying through the air, her arms held straight out at her sides with pom-poms in hand, her legs tucked underneath of her and a dazzling smile plastered on her face. The girl's brown hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and it was one of the only colored details of the sketch. The other color, the one that stood out so much it popped off the page, was the bright purple of the girl's top and skirt.  
"Is this...me?" Rebecca asked with an awed expression. Emily nodded shyly and Rebecca glanced down at the picture once more.  
She could make out the resemblance to her younger self in the drawing very clearly, but it was still a surprise to see herself staring back from the page. Especially since there was no example for Emily to work from. Yet every detail was there as a mirror image to Rebecca's teenage self. Even the small tuft of hair that fell into Rebecca's eyes -- despite her constant attempt to pin it back in the tight ponytail she always wore on the field -- was present. Just seeing that little feature made Rebecca feel a mixture of longtime frustration at her wild locks and amusement all at once.  
"Is this all from memory?" Rebecca asked and vaguely recalled how Emily had the knack to do great work from just thinking of things that she had once seen. It didn't amaze her any less now than it did back in their senior year of high school when she had first discovered this fact.  
Again, Emily nodded. "Yeah. Hearing you talk about cheerleading made me think of how happy you used to look back then."  
"I wasn't aware that you ever watched me cheer," Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, besides that one time."  
Emily grinned. "Can I tell you a secret?"  
"Of course."  
"There were times when I would hide under the stands and watch you practice." Emily's skin flushed in a way that was noticeably darker against her pale complexion as she admitted this fact. "I hated myself for it, but I couldn't stop. There was something so magical in the way that you did your routines. It was so effortless compared to the other girls on the squad. I always kind of wished that you were a different person than what I knew and maybe that's why I kept coming back."  
This tidbit struck Rebecca right in the heart on so many levels that she was rendered silent. She was happy to hear how highly Emily thought of her despite the nasty attitude Rebecca had all throughout high school -- however, she was equally ashamed of that behavior as well. Rebecca couldn't stop thinking about how stupid she was that it took her so long to see how special this girl really was.

Then Emily spoke again.  
"Look, I'm not gonna lie and pretend that you weren't a bitch in high school. I mean, you were a HUGE fucking bitch," Emily stressed to the discomfort and embarrassment of Rebecca who instantly began to rethink her wonderfully sappy thoughts of Emily from a moment ago. "But that didn't mean you were rotten to the core. I think maybe I liked watching you back then because I saw the potential for good buried deep, deep inside of the bitchy outer layer. Because when you were doing something you loved," Emily tapped the page with her pencil, "there was a whole different side of you that was truly wonderful to behold."  
"You really deliver it straight don't you?" Rebecca muttered at the harsh words Emily had slung at her about her past behavior. "Still, I appreciate your faith that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to me."

"I think you've proven that there definitely is more than meets the eye Becca," Emily uttered a short chuckle and then fixed the brunette with a curious glance. "Enough of all that drama though. What have you been studying lately? Have you picked a major yet?"  
"No, just been doing pre-reqs mostly. Why?"  
Emily shrugged. "No real reason, I was just thinking. Maybe you should consider doing coaching yourself someday. You would be much better at it than Aldrich was and I'm sure you wouldn't encourage your girls to conform into a horde of demons to do your bidding like she did."  
Rebecca laughed along with Emily at the mere thought of Lillian Aldrich's teaching methods. There was something that lingered with the blonde's words though and it got Rebecca thinking. She had loved cheering more than anything else in her life after all. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to fit it into her life as an adult. It was worth giving it a shot at least.  
Emily had pulled the sketchpad from Rebecca's lap and began working on the drawing of the young cheerleader once more as the brunette mulled over her words. The blonde wanted to make sure she captured the scene from her memory just right so it would be cemented on the paper. Emily was nothing if not a perfectionist.  
Rebecca stood up from the couch abruptly with a crumpled box in her hand. Emily quirked a brow in silent question and Rebecca held up the half-empty pack of cigarettes for her to see. This action was followed up by a solemn shake of the brunette's head.

"I'm still trying to figure out if I should thank you or spite you for getting me back into this fucking habit," Rebecca muttered.  
Emily's gaze went back down to the pad in her lap. "All I did was make an offer on one occasion. No one forced your hand."  
"No one had to. I needed a good smoke then and it apparently hasn't changed at all as the days have drug on," Rebecca sighed and stepped out on the terrace.  
Emily kept on drawing while Rebecca took her leave. Despite it just being a whim that she had originally, Emily was really getting into the sketch now. Adding more color and definition in every moment her hand moved over the paper.

Rebecca came in from her smoke break almost silently and with Emily in her magical little world, she didn't even notice the brunette enter the room at all. Emily was acutely aware when Rebecca cleared her throat and waited for Emily's attention however. The blonde looked up from the sketchpad slightly and raised a brow at Rebecca and the sudden disturbance.

"I was out there thinking and I just wanted to say something while we're both being honest," Rebecca cleared her throat and glanced at Emily warily, as if she was sizing up the consequences of her impending words. "You're kind of a bitch too. I'm not saying I haven't deserved everything you've thrown at me, but there's plenty of folks that don't. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I hope you won't let my shitty behavior in the past dictate who you are now. I don't think we need another bitch like the once great Becca Knox running around in the world when there's such a great Emmy Frazier that's just begging to come out."  
Emily didn't gasp in surprise or pierce Rebecca with laser vision. She didn't look bashful or embarrassed or even sad at the accusation. The blonde simply cocked her head to the side and set Rebecca with a winning smile.  
Something about that adorable smile made Rebecca feel a bit embarrassed just being in its presence. She rubbed the back of her neck and tried not to look as uncomfortable as she was suddenly. There probably wasn't much success to this endeavor however so with a glance at the clock she looked for an out.  
"Wow, I didn't realize it was so late. I should probably leave," Rebecca muttered, cursing herself for the way her voice came out weak and unsure. "Early classes tomorrow."  
Emily nodded. "I've been there."  
"Yeah."  
"It was nice seeing you tonight. I had a good time hanging out," Emily said with that smile still firm on her face.  
"Me too," Rebecca attempted her own smile despite the awkward butterflies fluttering in her chest. "I usually have a good time with you though."  
Emily chuckled. "Ditto."  
"Anyways. I really should get going. I'll call you," Rebecca muttered and turned to leave.

"Wait a second!" Emily called out before the brunette could get too far away. Rebecca turned around and Emily thrust the sketchbook in her hands. "I want you to have this."  
"Uh..." Was all Rebecca could muster. She was instantly struck with thoughts of the last sketchbook of Emily's that she had procured and all the hell it lead to.  
"Well, I wanted you to have the drawing I was working on specifically, but I also wanted to make sure it got home safe so just take the whole thing. I have dozens of pads lying around so one less isn't a big deal." Emily explained quickly, her face turning red as she did. "I haven't really done much in there anyways and um...I feel kind of stupid now."  
"Don't," Rebecca assured her and put a hand on Emily's arm. "Thanks. I appreciate it."  
"No problem," Emily mumbled.  
Despite her shaky feelings around Emily, Rebecca saw an opportunity that she just couldn't resist. The brunette leaned down and pressed a quick kiss against Emily's cheek. She pulled away before she could do something truly stupid and backed away with a small smirk on her lips.  
"I'll see you later," Rebecca said and turned to the door, leaving Emily with a hand held against her cheek.  
Rebecca didn't even open up the book until she got back to her place. Even then, she was a little nervous to for some reason. Eventually, curiosity got the better of Rebecca and she flipped open the first page of the sketchbook to look at Emily's work.  
The girl had only gotten better with age. Page after page of gorgeous work met the Rebecca's eyes. From landscapes and building around the city to ideas that were clearly meant for her job and random doodles, every single piece was astounding and Rebecca found herself looking over every page with invested interest.  
Finally, she turned to the drawing that Emily had been working on of Rebecca and her breath caught. It had filled out so much more since the first glance that Emily had given her, both in color and the depth of details that she had put into it. You could actually see the football field of Branson high in the background and the young cheerleader that Rebecca still couldn't believe was her -- it truly was like looking in a mirror from years past -- was colored and shaded to perfection.  
A small speech bubble near the cheerleader that proclaimed 'GO BULLDOGS' caused Rebecca to grin. Emily was so good at all the little things that really made a piece of art come to life and make it realistic. This piece was no exception to the rule.

Rebecca ran a loving hand over the drawing and that's when her eyes picked up one other thing that hadn't been there at first glance. In the distance of the football field, near the bleachers across the far side from the cheerleader's back stood a small figure. She had blonde hair and a soft smile and it didn't take long for Rebecca to realize exactly who it was supposed to be.  
The brunette pressed the sketchpad to her chest and felt a single warm tear roll down her cheek. This was the most beautiful gift anyone had ever given her. Despite everything from that time that she wasn't proud of, Rebecca now had something to remind her of the one thing that would always bring a smile to her face -- her first love.  
Well, that and how much she used to enjoy cheering -- that was pretty cool too.  
Post High School: Rebecca Knox  
I had no idea that the end of my life was waiting right after graduation.

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but it sure as hell felt like this was it for me. I had no plans. I had no options. I had nothing.  
There was a certain determination in me that knew I would be back to my normal self after the accident. That I would be back to cheering and I could go on to work for some big sport's team or something. Everything would work out like I always thought it would. How wrong I was.  
If only I would have stayed the hell away from that party. I wouldn't have been drunk enough to listen to my idiotic friends about how badass it would be to attempt a back flip off Brody Mason's pool house. Hell, I wouldn't have been drunk enough to attempt said back flip and ruin my career for good.  
It wasn't a big surprise that I missed my mark into the water really. I suppose I should be glad that it was just by a little bit or else they would have scraped me off the cement instead of just rushing me to the hospital. Still, as soon as I heard that crunch from where my left leg caught the side of the pool I knew that the repercussions were going to be bad -- really bad.

Despite doing everything that I had been told and pushing myself as hard as humanly possible during physical therapy, it didn't matter. My leg was never the same again. I couldn't ever pull off the moves I was once able to before the accident.  
I remember the first time I tried doing a handspring once I was cleared to use the limb again. My form was perfect and I landed it like I had a million times before, but as soon as the pressure of the land hit my left side I crumpled to the ground in a pathetic heap. That was all it took for me to know without a doubt that my cheerleading career was done for good. I cried for an hour afterward and not a soul could console me through the emotional pain I felt.  
My parents put up with my moping around for a little while, but once they realized that I had basically given up they gave up on me too. It wasn't the way of the Knox family to turn into a useless waste once something fell through. You picked yourself up and you made do with what you had left. What they never seemed to understand was that cheering was literally all I had.

So they stopped supporting me and I stopped talking to them, that was all there was to it. It was as simple as one bad decision to change the relationship with my parents forever. After a while, I stopped considering them my parents at all though. They were just the people that gave me life and then stopped caring about me once I had become a useless human being.  
Whatever.  
As weak as it was, I actually contemplated taking my own life for a while. I knew there were plenty of people that had it worse off than I did -- like way worse off -- but I just couldn't stand my own existence anymore. I hated waking up every day without any foreseeable purpose in life and no one there to let me know that I was worth it. My family obviously didn't give a fuck and all of my 'friends' stopped hanging around once I was busted to the bottom of the proverbial pyramid. So why was any of it worth it?  
The only thing that stopped me in the end was refusing to take the coward's way out. I may not have believed in the people that raised my anymore, but the values instilled in me -- at least the ones worth keeping close -- were still there. Two of the most important ones that kept me alive were never being a coward and holding on to my stubborn pride. I guess I was thankful for that if nothing else, but the rest of the Knox clan would never hear it from my lips.  
Being away from my parents and getting past the bout of depression I had made me really analyze the kind of person I was and who I had been for the longest time. I wasn't proud of what I saw. All I was boiled down to being a cruel and manipulative bully. There wasn't anything truly good about my character.  
I started to feel like shit about the way that I treated people during my school years, especially the high school period. I had hurt a lot of people and humiliated even more. And for what gain really? Not much that I could see.

When word came that Branson High was celebrating a fifth year reunion for my graduating class I was instantly turned off by the idea. It was a terrifying prospect actually. Half the room would be people that I had fucked over and the other half would be people that had seen my fall from grace personally. It wouldn't be fun for me at all.  
The more I thought about it though, the more it felt like something I had to do. If I was ever going to get over the things that had been plaguing me for years this would be the way. I could make amends to those that I hurt and for all of the other bitches, well I could just ignore them as best I could. The real tipping point of my decision came from my new friend Evie however.

We had met recently at a bar by sheer course of luck. This guy couldn't seem to understand that I just wanted to drink by myself like a loser and so he kept insisting I dance with him or some shit. I wasn't really listening to be honest.  
He was on his fiftieth pitch of why we should be spending some intimate time together when Evie just couldn't take it anymore. She walked over from a nearby table and tapped the guy on the shoulder. He turned to see her and smiled like a fucking idiot, probably thinking that some cute girl actually wanted anything to do with him. Oh, how wrong he was.  
Evie proceeded to give him a piece of her mind to get a clue and to leave people alone that wanted to be left well enough alone. Not only was he feeling severely reprimanded by the loud and aggressive tone that she used with the douche bag, but said tone had attracted the attention of plenty of the bar and he was looking mighty embarrassed too. It didn't take him long to pay his tab and scurry out with his tail between his legs.

After that little interaction, Evie offered to buy me a drink as an apology of having to deal with the dickwad and even invited me to sit with her and her friends. It was the first time in awhile that I felt like someone actually had my back, so of course I accepted her offer and went to meet her friends Celia and Rawly Stanton. If Evie was the brashest little spitfire I had ever met then the Stanton's were the sweetest pair to counteract that. I knew right away that I had met a group of truly authentic people that I could be myself around finally.  
The three of them clicked with me right away and in one night, I had people to stand up for me and accept me at the same time. It could be said that I felt like I was whole again after my accident had taken away so much of my identity. I had never known how much I needed people in my life like those three until I met them.  
It didn't take long after that first night for Evie to worm her way into being my best friend and voice of reason, so when she found out about my reunion and especially my thoughts on not going, she was quick to convince me otherwise.

"You're not seriously going to let a couple of stuck up bitches stop you from going to this thing are you?"  
"It's not just that," I told her. "I was a pretty nasty bitch back then too. I'm sure there will be some folks that can't wait to rub their success in my face after I've fallen so hard."  
"Then let them. Be the bigger person Rebecca," Evie said. "If you go in there and act opposite to what they expect from you, then you've succeeded. You've grown up and that's more than can be said of some people."  
I couldn't deny that she had a good point. Evie may have been a temperamental hothead, but she was still capable of giving some damn good advice. This was one of those times and I couldn't just brush off what she was telling me in good consciousness.  
"You know what? You're right. I can't just let someone else's opinion stop me from living my life. Especially people that don't even know me anymore."  
"That's the spirit!" Evie said and thrust a fist up in victory. "Now if there are any cute guys there, be sure to give them my number okay?"  
I rolled my eyes and gave the crazy redhead a shove. "Not a chance."  
It turned out that I didn't need to fret over my reunion at all. I went in with the mindset that Evie had given me about being the bigger and better person than what was expected of me, but it wasn't altogether necessary. Especially since my personality ended up completely regressing.  
Reunions serve as a sort of social time machine I found out. You could have a guy that's become a doctor and a family man, but if he was the meathead jock all of a sudden he's spiking the punch and hitting on every girl in sight. Meanwhile, the nerdy girl that ended up in the air force starts talking about comic books and unconsciously pushing invisible glasses up the bridge of her nose that have long since been traded in for contacts.  
It's truly an interesting phenomenon.  
Even though I went in telling myself that I would be the sweet and grounded woman I had become, that all went out the door when I actually walked into the gym where the reunion was held. As soon as my peers saw me, they split apart like the Red Sea and without even thinking about it, my Becca Knox attitude just came flowing out. My hands went to my hips and I walked through the people I was so afraid of like they were below me -- nothing but peons for the queen that had graced them with her presence.  
Despite my instant attitude change I made sure not to let too much of that bitch out to play. I was pleasant in all of my conversations and didn't do anything that could be construed as mean or hurtful by any means. I did ham up my old intimidation factor a bit though, especially to the stupid cunts that I once called friends -- like Ashley and Marie. I had a brief interaction with them and afterward the two stayed far away from me throughout the rest of the night.  
The entirety of the night actually ended up being quite a bit of fun. I danced and laughed with people I hadn't seen in quite some time and not a single one of them made me feel like less than I was. In fact, quite a few people ended up asking me about the accident that they had only heard about and offered words of consolation on my promising career that had been cut short.

There was one person who wasn't present during the whole event however -- Emily Frazier.  
I had been hoping that she would show up so I could finally apologize about everything that had happened between us once upon a time, but I never got the opportunity. It was a shame really, since she was the lone soul that had been on the receiving end of my wrath more than anyone else had. There was a sickly feeling that she may have actually offed herself because of my cruelty, but that theory was put to rest when I began asking around about her.  
Apparently, she had signed up with some up and coming company and was making headway doing some sort of business shit. No one that I talked to really knew the details of course, which wasn't a surprise to me at all. There wasn't a person in the gym that really gave two shits about the girl during high school -- me included. Regardless, it was good to hear that she had made something of herself despite the constant trouble I gave her. Maybe I even helped toughen her up to the world.  
I put Frazier out my mind after awhile and simply enjoyed the rest of the night with people that I was likely never going to see again. At least for one night I could feel like I was back on top and hadn't fucked up everything that I once had. And did it ever feel good to soak in that admiration one more time.  
So life went on and as much as it was a struggle sometimes, I was getting by for the most part. I had good friends that I loved more than I had ever loved my family -- which is exactly what Evie and the Stanton's had become to me -- and I knew that I was worth something even though my life wasn't going perfectly to plan. The only snag I had was an income.

This is how it came to be that I ended up at Zendex Media that windy afternoon before coming face to face with the new and improved Emily Frazier. Whoever said that karma couldn't be funny wasn't living in the shoes of my life, that was for sure. Because from where I was standing, it was fucking hilarious -- even though I was the butt end of the joke for a change.


	8. Emmy Lou

There was a shift in the girl's relationship in the coming weeks. Since Rebecca had broken the concrete boundaries that they had set up for themselves by giving Emily that simple kiss on the cheek, it had suddenly become open season for the two of them in ways of simple actions of their physical affections. There were more instances when a hand would go to a knee in conversation, or a quick tight hug before they separated from the other, it wasn't even uncommon for them to unconsciously link their hands when they would sit together -- even in public.  
It was never anything too serious, since they were both feeling on thin ice about each other, but they were beginning to take those first tentative steps of trusting the other enough to be vulnerable. They had ignorantly skipped this part during their first affair, but this time things would be different -- even if they might be acting a bit too cautious than was really necessary. In fact, the way they were going about their courtship could be akin to taming a wild horse. Only they were both acting like skittish stallions, with neither of them taking the reins as the confident trainer.  
Along with their newfound physical intimacy, there was also more emotional intimacy. Things that were never talked about before became integrated into conversation freely and things that they had both kept hidden were finally coming to the surface. This wasn't excluding one of the sorest subjects for both girls -- their families. Which was a good thing; because it wasn't until this particular talk came about that they both began to understand the other in a way that was never present before.  
The whole topic came up innocently enough, Rebecca was simply curious to know more about Emily since the blonde never talked much about personal issues outside of her own interests. Despite breaking all ties from her own family, Rebecca figured that maybe Emily had better luck in the department. There was no way that she could have been prepared for what she learned from the conversation at all though.  
"So do you get to see your family much?" Rebecca asked in that subtle conversational manner.  
Emily shrugged. "I don't have any family."  
Rebecca furrowed her brows at this nonchalant comeback. "What do you mean you don't have a family? Everyone has a family."

Another noncommittal shrug from the blonde. "I guess I have one if you consider the people that give you life a 'family.'" She said this word as though the meaning was very loose to her. "But all things considered, I've lone wolfed it for so long that I don't believe in that concept."  
Rebecca didn't realize that her jaw had dropped until she saw Emily looking at her curiously. The brunette shook off her shock from such a cold and direct response about the simple question and searched her brain for an appropriate response. This just didn't seem like Emily, at least not the Emily she had come to know recently.  
"So you don't talk to you parents at all? No siblings that you have a relationship with either? Just, nothing, that's it?" Rebecca finally managed to get out.  
"Pretty much," Emily nodded. "I suppose you wouldn't know anything about how terrible my home life was since you were so distracted on matching my school life up to the same standard back then."  
Rebecca flushed red like she always did when their past was brought up. It felt like she was never going to be able to outrun the person she once was, especially not when it came to diverging personal information with Emily. She just couldn't catch a break it seemed.  
Unlike the previous forays into these memories though, Emily reached over to take Rebecca's hand and set her with a comforting smile. "That wasn't meant to come across in a mean way. I was just stating facts Becca."  
"Still hate hearing it," Rebecca grumbled under her breath and refused to meet Emily's eyes.  
"I know. I'm sorry," Emily replied and the tone she conveyed said that she authentically meant it too. "What I meant was, while school life was complete shit, home life was no better."  
Rebecca could tell that this wasn't a pleasant thing for Emily to think about and she didn't want the girl to suffer through bad memories for her sake. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'll understand."  
"No, it's okay. I always want to be completely honest with you. I think you've earned that much," Emily told Rebecca with a firm nod of her head -- which seemed like an action more for herself than for Rebecca's sake. "I grew up as an only child. My parents never even wanted me in all reality, so of course they made sure that no other little accidents came along. They weren't the easiest people to live with since my mom was an alcoholic and my dad was very...neglectful. I'm sure that some would argue that it created some sort of abandonment issues in me, but I just think that it taught me that no one really cared much."  
"Sounds more like the stem of your trust issues than abandonment ones," Rebecca muttered under her breath. She thought it was something that just went through her head but by the look Emily had thrown her, she realized that it had slipped out of her mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud."  
"You're right though," Emily sighed. "I've never cared much about people leaving me because I never let anyone get close enough, but I do have a problem trusting anyone. Even when it comes to the simplest tasks, I would rather just do things myself that way I know it will get done the way it's supposed to."  
"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Rebecca said softly, cautiously. "But I guess it would be a little easier on everyone if you were able to delegate with a little more faith. Or, I don't know, feel like you could let a little bit of the pressure off that you keep on yourself."  
Emily considered Rebecca for a long moment. She searched her face for a sign, something that she could assure herself that the brunette was lying or being insincere, but she couldn't find anything. Rebecca truly cared and that was a hard feeling for Emily to cope with.  
"I know you're right. It's hard though," Emily muttered.  
"I know the feeling. Trust me," Rebecca said. She figured a little quid pro quo was in order after everything that Emily had just said so she divulged a bit of her own family history in order to even things out. "I haven't talked to my parents or either of my siblings for, oh, four or five years now. We had a bit of fallout after my accident. They wanted me to suck it up and drive on after it happened but it wasn't an easy thing for me to do, especially with how depressed I got after it all, you know? They were more concerned about me creating a new image for myself than my emotional and mental well-being and that was when I finally just cut ties. It was still hard though. Like, if my family didn't have my back at my worst, who could? But I was wrong about that."  
"How so?"  
"Well I met my friends. The ones I told you about -- Rawly, Celia and Evie. They really showed me how much I was worth even when I felt like the biggest, most useless piece of shit that ever walked the planet. If it wasn't for those three, well let's just say that I don't think I would be what I am today." Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand, the other still intertwined with Emily's. "I guess what I'm trying to say with all of this is that I...well I want to be that for you. I want to be the person that shows you that it's all right to have a fucked up past because it doesn't have to reflect your future. Ironic, right?"  
"Quite," Emily uttered a tiny laugh and then looked on at the brunette with such admiration in her eyes that she felt her chest literally well up from the gesture. "But, it's very sweet too."  
"Well, I have my moments every now and again," Rebecca glanced at Emily with a little grin. "You have the tendency to bring it out in me more than anyone though."  
The intense connection that Emily felt towards Rebecca all of a sudden was impossible to ignore. She was being pulled in as if Rebecca were a riptide. Like the two of them were magnets that were made to attract and not repel for once.  
Simply put, like they belonged together.  
Emily began to lean in, licking her lips as she did. She couldn't tell at all what Rebecca was thinking of by the struck expression that graced her beautiful face, but that was all right. Emily was content to do the thinking for both of them right now.  
With her eyes trained on the brunette's lips, she inched forward, getting so close to completely erasing the distance between them. Just a little bit further and the blonde would taste the sweet heaven of Rebecca's kiss once more. The soft press of her lips was something that she had missed like a bad drug and she couldn't wait to get her fix again.  
So close, just a little further.  
***  
Emily stirred with a groan as the light hit her eyes. She turned over, pulling the blankets over her head as she did and muttered curses at the brightness of the sun. A small chuckle to her right pulled her messy blonde head back from the blankets just as quick however.  
Rebecca lay on her side, gazing at Emily fondly. She had an elbow on the bed, supporting her weight as she propped up her chin in order to look over the little blonde better. Rebecca's eyes twinkled with merriment even as her small giggles tapered off at Emily's confused face.  
"Morning," Rebecca said softly.  
"Good," Emily choked out before she stopped and cleared her throat from the thick phlegm that was making normal speech an incapability at the current moment. "Good morning."  
Rebecca cocked her head and considered the blonde. "You look surprised to see me. Did you expect me to run off before you woke up?"  
"No! Of course not. I'm just...a bit disoriented still I guess." Emily offered a little chuckle of her own in spite of herself.  
"Hmm," Rebecca hummed and ran a lazy finger up and down Emily's bare arm lying next to her.  
The blonde looked at Rebecca as though she were seeing her for the first time in the new morning light. The rising sun cast beautiful golden shadows over her toned body and a halo over her long, disheveled brunette locks. Emily moved the bangs out of her lover's face and smiled.  
"You have no idea how many times I've thought about waking up next to you like this," Emily whispered. "I've always wondered if you looked just as beautiful first thing in the morning as you do every other moment of the day."  
"I guess you'll have to keep wondering," Rebecca said and suddenly her hand was gone from the blonde's skin.  
Emily's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"  
"You tell me," Rebecca answered, her voice sounding very far away now. "It's your dream."  
Emily sat up with a start and looked around her. The sun was still shining into her windows with all of its bright, annoying energy and her sheets were still a tangled mess. The only thing missing was Rebecca.  
"Fuck me," Emily muttered and flopped back on the bed.  
It all came flooding back to Emily then. The almost kiss that was abruptly broken off when Rebecca had pulled away at the last moment and distanced herself from the blonde. It was so infuriating.  
She was so close to getting exactly what she wanted and then Rebecca simply stood up and muttered some lame apology before running out of the house. It was somewhat understandable at first, the brunette didn't want to be burned by the spark between them any more than Emily did, but now it was just annoying. It also left Emily with the thoughts that she had misjudged Rebecca. Perhaps the girl had just gotten over her attraction and moved on?  
That didn't make any sense though. If she had no interest in Emily, then she would just lay down the truth in a simple and direct manner. That was how Rebecca did things. She didn't scurry away like a scorned puppy with its tail between its legs.  
Something was going on in that pretty little head and Emily was going to get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later. The frustration she was feeling -- especially between her thighs -- wouldn't hold out much longer otherwise. Now if only she had a plan...  
Emily's thoughts were instantly torn apart by the sound of her phone vibrating on the bedside table. The blonde looked at it and sighed, having a bad feeling that she was going to be asked to come in and deal with something for her current project -- and for once, she didn't want to go into work to burn off her frustration. Maybe if she just ignored it, they would leave her be.  
There was no way that Emily could do that in good consciousness though. With a sigh, she turned and fumbled for the phone blindly. She would look at the message, but she wasn't going to expend too much energy to do so. What Emily saw in that message had her scrambling to sit up in bed however.  
It wasn't from the office at all, but Rebecca. Emily honestly wasn't expecting to hear back from the brunette so soon after their foray into awkwardville last night. She wasn't about to complain though. No sir.  
Becca: Got any plans tonight Emmy?  
Emily bit her lip as she stared at those five simple words. She usually did nothing on her weekends, well until recently were she spent every possible free moment with Rebecca. The brunette knew that though. How was she supposed to answer in a nonchalant way so she didn't seem too desperate to know Rebecca's play?  
Ugh, this is exactly why I never got mixed up into complicated relationships! So many mind games. So much to figure out and no answers to be found anywhere.  
Me: Nothing pressing.  
Emily hoped that came across as cool and relaxed. She had no idea why it was so hard to surround herself with that aura now. She was the picture of cool and relaxed at work, why did Rebecca make it so fucking hard?  
Becca: Do you want to come out with the gang and me tonight then? Grab some drinks and maybe do a little dancing ;)  
There was a veritable explosion inside Emily's head at the mere sight of that text. Meeting Rebecca's friends? That was the equivalent of meeting her parents. And dancing? God when was the last time she danced... And was that a winky face? What the fuck was the purpose of the winky face!  
Relax. You got this. It's all good. Maybe you don't need a plan. Becca seems to have all your bases covered for you!  
That was a completely new problem in itself. Rebecca wasn't the one that was supposed to come up with the plan -- Emily was. She had to control this situation. She had to steer it in the right direction.  
The conversation from last night came crashing into her hard at this tired thought process. Maybe she didn't have to control it at all. Rebecca wanted nothing more than to give her a safe place to let go. Perhaps this was just her way of giving Emily the opportunity she needed to do just that.  
Emily chewed on her bottom lip and stared at the phone. She read through the last text again and weighed her options. Then with a deep sigh, she typed out a reply.  
Me: That sounds great. What time?  
Rebecca's response was almost instantaneous.  
Becca: Pick you up at 7?  
For some reason, Emily couldn't stop herself from smiling. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to give up this facade of control she had. She really was so exhausted from holding the entire world on her shoulders. Rebecca could take it for a night if she wanted.  
Me: Can't wait.  
***  
Rebecca paced the Stanton's living room with phone in hand. She kept glancing at it as she waited for each of Emily's responses -- which were taking much too long in her opinion. As soon as one would come in, she would stop and type out a response before resuming her back and forth once more. Rebecca's friends watched this all with great interest.  
"You're going to replace the hole that you're wearing down into my carpet right?" Celia asked when the pacing had begun again.  
"Hmm?" Rebecca hummed without looking up from her phone and then muttered out a distracted, "Oh. Yeah. Sure."  
Rawly nudged his wife with his elbow. "I don't think she's going to."  
"No," Celia answered with pursed lips.  
Evie couldn't take the spectacle anymore. "Jesus Christ! Would you sit the fuck down?"  
Rebecca's head snapped up to her friends for the first time in twenty minutes. She stopped moving completely and looked between their faces. From Evie's annoyed scowl to Celia's patient face to Rawly's amused one.  
Then Rebecca's phone chimed again and her attention was quickly diverted once more. All three of them sighed in unison -- Evie's ending in a frustrated little groan. They waited for the pacing to start once Rebecca had finished tapping out a reply on her phone, but it didn't.  
Instead, she turned on the trio and set them with a very serious face -- a far cry from the confused expression she had worn just moments before. "I need you to listen and listen good -- Evie I'm mostly talking to you here."  
"What did I do?" Evie cried indignantly.  
"Nothing. Yet," Rebecca replied with narrowed eyes set specifically on her redheaded friend, before she looked at them as a group once more. "I invited Emily to come out with us tonight."  
"Ah. That's why you were deadest in ruining my floor," Celia concluded.  
"Yes." Rebecca said without even realizing that Celia's words were meant to be a joke. "Anyways, I need you all to promise me that you'll be on your best behavior. I don't care what I've told you before or any assumptions you may have come to previously. You must -- and I cannot stress this enough -- be nice and accommodating to her."  
"Do I really need to hear this rigmarole?" Rawly asked with a raised brow. "I'm as nice as they come."  
Rebecca nodded. "Good point. You may be excused from this meeting."  
"Hey!" Celia and Evie exclaimed simultaneously as Rawly stood from the couch to retreat into the kitchen.  
"You're sure to give her the mommy treatment, that's just your thing," Rebecca said while addressing Celia specifically and then swung her finger to point at Evie, "and you're just a bitch when it comes to new people -- especially when you have any kind of prior judgment about them. I can't have you pulling that shit with Emmy tonight."  
Evie held her hands up and shook her head. "Hold up. I'm gonna ignore that bitch comment for one second, but did you seriously just call her Emmy?"  
Rebecca flushed bright red at the slip up before raising her chin to Evie. "Yes. Is there a problem with me having a nickname for Emily?"  
"Only one as vomit inducing as Emmy," Evie scoffed and rolled her eyes.  
"I think it's cute," Celia said.  
"Not the point!" Rebecca growled and glared at the two women, "Are you going to make this promise or not? I don't have to introduce her to this carnival of chaos you know."  
"Then why are you going through all the trouble?" Evie asked with her head cocked in curiosity. Rebecca knew she was just being difficult now.  
Celia put a hand on Evie's shoulders as though she was reasoning with a small child. "Because our opinion is so important to Rebecca of course. She wants us to like her little friend." Celia turned her gaze to Rebecca. "Don't you dear?"  
"I fucking give up," Rebecca muttered and threw her hands up before walking off.  
"Oh come on! Don't be like that Bec," Evie called after her.  
Celia followed up with a sarcastic. "If you keep throwing a tantrum I'll send you to bed without dinner Rebecca!"  
Rebecca ignored their protests and headed for the door. She was sure they wouldn't be completely unbearable tonight, but was it so hard to give their word? Couldn't they see it was important to her?  
Rawly put a hand on Rebecca's before she could turn the handle and stomp out. "I'll make sure that they're on their best behavior," he assured her.  
With a content sigh, Rebecca nodded. "You're the only one I like you know."  
"I know," Rawly grinned and released the brunette so she could escape from the madness currently residing in his living room.  
***  
Just as Rebecca had promised, she showed up at seven o' clock sharp to pick up Emily. There was a definite air about Rebecca that the blonde noticed right away. She was doing her best to be courteous and even chivalrous in comparison to her normal attitude. Rebecca was never without etiquette, but tonight she was opening and closing doors for Emily and doing everything in her power to take the lead in the whole situation.  
Emily had expected to meet these infamous friends of Rebecca's as soon as they got to the car, but was surprised to see when it was just the two of them. "Where are the others?"  
"They're gonna meet us at Harvey's." Rebecca looked a little nervous as she answered Emily.  
"Something wrong?"  
"Well, um, I thought this might be a good time to debrief you before we all meet up. I guess you could call this a warning," Rebecca said stiffly.  
"Why would I need a warning? You've told me about them before. I'm sure nothing's changed," Emily said with a shrug. "Celia's overprotective of you. Evie is known to have a temper. Rawly's a big teddy bear."  
"Yeah, and while that's all good and well in theory I don't think you understand the extent of their, err... colorful personalities."  
Emily chuckled at how anxious Rebecca was acting. The blonde was right in assuming that this little outing would be the equivalent of meeting Rebecca's parents -- and crazy little sister if half of what she'd heard about Evie was true. There was obviously a lot riding on this whole experience for Rebecca, but oddly enough, Emily wasn't shaken by the fact.  
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Emily assured Rebecca with a soothing stroke to the brunette's arm.  
"I'm just afraid that they're going to give you shit. Because of our, you know, history," Rebecca explained in no more than a mumble.  
"Well, how much do they know?"

 

"Probably more than they should," Rebecca admitted finally.  
Emily nodded, trying not to let this slip under her skin. By that simple answer, she guessed that meant that they knew about their ancient history but also about their more recent history as well. That is, the not so professional history that happened while Rebecca was under her employment.  
"Okay," Emily whispered, more to herself than anything else and then repeated the word a little louder. "Okay."  
"I'm sorry."  
"No," Emily shook her head. "No, it's perfectly okay."  
Rebecca quirked a brow up. "As you just said. Twice. Well, three times now."  
Emily smiled. "Really Becca, I'm sure everything will go just fine. If they need to dish out a few blows to see my sincerity about you then let them. I've got pretty thick skin as you damn well know."  
Rebecca smirked a little and decided to test that theory out. She wasn't very fond of recalling the past but perhaps she needed to embrace that it happened in order to move on. There was no point in running from something that did happen forever.  
"That's because I created that thick skin," Rebecca quipped.  
Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't be so full of yourself Knox. I dealt with a lot before you ever started flinging your adolescent bullshit my way."  
Rebecca chuckled at how easily Emily handled the slight jab. She was beginning to feel a little better at how this night might potentially go. In fact, she almost wanted Evie to make a backhanded comment to Emily now. She was awfully curious about how Emily would manage to throw it back in her fiery little friend's face.  
"So where are we headed? I know you said something before, Henry's was it?" Emily asked, ready to move on now that Rebecca seemed placated.  
"Harvey's," Rebecca corrected the blonde and finally started the car to get them going.  
"Right, Harvey's. I've never been there."  
"Well it's not exactly my first choice, but after so many fierce arguments over the years the four of us have decided that we needed to take turns deciding our venue for nights out," Rebecca explained with a shrug. "It's Rawly's week and he's fond of Harvey's since it's styled after one of those old school jazz clubs from the twenties. Live jazz music, prohibition era décor, the whole nine."  
"That sounds fun!" Emily exclaimed.  
The blonde wasn't putting on a face at all; the girl actually looked excited at the prospect. At least she would have something in common with Rawly right away. Too bad he wasn't one of the people that Rebecca was worried about tonight.  
"Do you know how to swing dance?" Rebecca asked casually.  
Emily's brows rose at the question in surprise. "Do you?"  
"I do. I took all kinds of dance lessons when I was younger. Anything to improve my balance and endurance for cheer. I'm pretty adept in swing, ballet, tango, and hip-hop," Rebecca grinned. "I can even pull off the occasional waltz."  
"Impressive. Here I thought you were just a one trick pony."  
"I'm anything but," Rebecca scoffed. "You should know better than that Emmy. And you still haven't answered my question."  
"A little. I'm pretty fond of jazz actually, so I took a few lessons in college. I doubt I could keep up with you though."  
Rebecca glanced at her sideways and smirked a little wider. "That's hardly important as long as you let me lead."  
Emily swooned a little at Rebecca's confident demeanor. She would be more than happy to let Rebecca lead her anywhere right now. Fuck the consequences and expectations.  
"Looks like they're already here. Figured as much," Rebecca muttered to herself as they pulled into the parking lot.  
Rebecca killed the engine and shot out of the car to Emily's side before the blonde could even grasp the handle for the door. As much as she coveted her independence, this was a nice change of pace. There was no way that Emily was about to complain about Rebecca's courteous nature right now.  
"Thank you," Emily said sweetly and accepted Rebecca's hand to help her out of the vehicle.  
Emily began to make her way to the front door of the establishment but before she could get very far away, Rebecca was pulling her back by the hand that was still in hers.  
"Wait. Just, wait one second," Rebecca pleaded.  
Emily let out an impatient huff. "What?"  
Rebecca drew in a deep breath and looked toward the building before setting her focus back on Emily. "It's not too late to back out. We can just a make an excuse and leave right now."  
"I'm appalled that you're even considering such a thing Becca Knox!" Emily said in a tone of pure horror. "Blowing off your friends to save face? Really?"  
"Technically it's your face I'm trying to save," Rebecca muttered and toed the ground with her shoe. "I just wanted to give you an option out is all."  
"I think I'll be just fine on my own, thank you. Besides, I don't run away from battles and neither should you."  
Rebecca wanted to argue that this wasn't a battle necessarily. It was more like a foray into awkward embarrassment of the likes she had never seen before. Emily was right though, they would just have to get this over with and go inside. Otherwise, she would just keep wondering how it might have gone.  
This didn't keep Rebecca from nearly hyperventilating as they worked toward the building, however. These were all of her favorite people gathering in one place with the expectation of just getting along. What if it was a catastrophe? What if they hated each other? What if she had to keep dividing her time between the four because they weren't capable of being in the same room together at one time?  
The mere prospect was absolutely exhausting to Rebecca.  
"Everything will be okay," Emily assured her and squeezed the brunette's hand.  
Rebecca nodded and opened the door to Harvey's, letting Emily go in first before she muttered, "I hope you're right."  
Emily shot her a look of sheer confidence and winked. The brunette returned the look with her own dopey grin of infatuation for the adorable blonde hanging onto her. If she survives this night, I am never letting this girl go, Rebecca's brain mumbled.

Collecting her poise and grace once more, Rebecca stood up straight and maneuvered the pair through the patron's of Harvey's to the usual table that her gang claimed. They sat around arguing over something nonsensical -- like usual -- and looking like the perfect picture of joyful dysfunction. Rebecca waited to intrude on their conversation for a few extra moments and just enjoyed the sight of her best friends before she added Emily to the mix -- the chemical that could possibly make this whole concoction go boom.  
Evie was the first to glance over and see the two standing there. Her eyes zeroed in on their joined hands and filed the sight away for later if need be. No need to start on a front of assault, Evie assured herself.  
"Well, well, well, look what the cat drug in!" The redhead exclaimed to the pair, which of course garnered the attention of the Stanton's instantly.  
"Rebecca!"  
"Hey kiddo!"  
Rawly and Celia said at the same time with matching smiles on their faces. The level of synchronicity that they shared sometimes was almost creepy to Rebecca. She brushed this tidbit away from her mind in favor of the much scarier prospect of introducing her girl...err, friend.  
Rebecca touched Emily's arm with her free hand and motioned to the table. "Emmy, this is-"  
She got no farther than that before Emily interrupted. "Evie, Celia and Rawly," she pointed to each one correctly with a smile before turning back to Rebecca. "Right?"  
"Uh, right," Rebecca said with a look of confusion. "Guys this is-"  
Again, she was cut off. This time by Celia. "Emily. We know."

Rebecca's brows pulled together tightly over her eyes and she was half tempted to stomp her foot in the irritation that flowed over her. This was her job to do dammit. How dare they take away her embarrassing introductions!  
"Well you clearly don't need me, so what I am even here for?" Rebecca grumbled in frustration.  
Emily squeezed Rebecca's hand again and smiled. "To sit there and look pretty. Think you can manage?"  
Rawly was the first one to chuckle at the joking compliment before it spread around the table in quick succession. Rebecca was decidedly redder than she was previously. Emily simply looked smug.

"Come and sit down, we don't want you standing there all night," Rawly said in an act of salvation to Rebecca.  
The brunette breathed out a sigh of relief and slid into the booth next to Rawly with Emily following close behind her. Rebecca had to admit that things were already going better than planned and that was somewhat of a relief. Her guard hadn't dropped completely though. She was smart enough to know that there was always a calm before the storm.  
"So Emily," Evie began in a tone that was much too sweet for Rebecca's liking. "How's the job going since Rebecca left? Recruited a new victim to torture yet?"  
And there it was, Rebecca thought glumly and let out a sigh.

Emily grinned back at Evie and Rebecca noted that there was no malice in her stare. Rebecca wasn't sure if Emily was trying to disarm her friend with that adorable grin, but she knew it wasn't going to change the inevitable outcome at all. Evie was an unrelenting force and Emily was an immovable object -- there was no other conclusion of what would eventually happen when the two collided but absolute destruction.

"Well it's definitely not the same without Becca around, but I'm managing," Emily said in a way that was utterly open and honest. "As for your question, I think I've finally hung up my bad behavior toward others. No point in projecting any more of my personal problems onto innocent bystanders, right?"  
No one had expected this answer from the blonde. Rebecca's jaw dropped and she blinked several times in surprise. Rawly and Celia let out the collective breath that they were holding and their stiff positions went lax. Evie sputtered and tried to regain some sort of traction in her thoughts to combat the unseen answer -- rather unsuccessfully at that.  
"Rebecca warned me that you might be a little cautious about me so let's just get a few things clear, hmm?" Emily asked Evie in that same tone of voice. It was the way she talked to Rebecca since her walls had come down and the brunette was surprised to hear her friends addressed in a way that she had worked so hard for. "I've been terrible to Becca and despite all that, she's been kind enough to give me another chance to prove that I can be a different person. I hope that you don't let my past mistakes affect your judgment of me now that I finally have this clean slate to work with. However, I understand that as her best friend, you feel the need to put me through the wringer and for that, I commend your loyalty. Becca is truly lucky to have people like you in her life."  
Evie and Rebecca were still completely shell shocked by this display from the little blonde. They watched her speak with unhinged jaws and identical dumbfounded looks across their faces. Thankfully, the other people at this table were better at recovering from such a surprise than the wonder twins.  
"I think that's just fantastic dear," Celia said and set Emily with a look of such approval that the blonde actually flushed a little and ducked her head bashfully. "The world would be a better place if we could all just learn from our mistakes and move past them instead of holding onto silly grudges. Good for you."  
Emily opened her mouth to correct Celia. She was probably going to say something to direct the praise back at Rebecca, but before she could there was a nudge to her shin. Rebecca finally had a handle on herself again and she set Emily with a look that had the blonde snapping her jaw shut.  
"Thank you," she told Celia in a low whisper that was barely heard above the noise of the bar.

"Well!" Rebecca said loudly to disperse the awkward environment that her friends had created. "Since you went against the one simple favor I asked of you, I think you should get the first round Evie. Make sure to order me the raspberry and sage cocktail I love so much, okay?"  
Evie set her best friend with a glare, but didn't even bother to argue. She had tried to hold her tongue but it was impossible really. The redhead had no self-control in situations like this. With narrowed eyes still aimed at Rebecca, she got up and took the rest of the tables order before heading over to the bar with a grumble on her lips.  
"I swear her bark is worse than her bite," Rebecca told Emily with a sigh. "There's just no way to reign in that bark unfortunately."  
"It's true. Evie's a good kid, but she's unable to hold herself back when she sees an opportunity for her smart mouth," Rawly said.  
"And there's no filter on that damnable mouth and what it says. Even if she couldhold her tongue," Celia added in.  
Emily grinned at the people around her that were trying to make sure she didn't run off because of the fiery redhead's outburst. Emily already knew that Rebecca was on edge about her bolting from Evie, but the Stanton's jumping in to set Emily at ease showed how much they really cared about her having a good time out with them as well. They really were a good group and Emily could see why Rebecca liked them so much.

Evie came back a little later with a tray of drinks in hand. She passed them around the table to each of the designated owners before reclaiming her own seat. The temperamental girl was a little more subdued and a silence broke out between the five of them upon her return. Evie chewed on her lip with a furrowed brow before she looked over at Emily and spoke up in a much softer voice than she had used earlier.  
"I guess I should apologize to you. It's hard for me to not feel the need to defend Rebecca. Even though I'm perfectly aware that she can take care of herself. But that's just one of those things that makes us friends, you know? We look out for each other when people fuck with us."  
"I get it. I really do," Emily said and then untangled her hand from Rebecca's to stretch across the table toward Evie. "How about we start over?"  
Evie grinned and took Emily's hand in a quick shake. "All right. But if you mess with my girl again, I won't hesitate to knock you down a peg or two blondie."  
"Fair enough," Emily agreed and retracted her hand before linking her fingers with Rebecca's once more.  
Now that the other shoe had dropped -- and landed in a way that didn't cause an explosive shockwave across their little group -- Rebecca finally found herself relaxing for the first time all day. She laughed and joked with her friends in an open way that Emily had never seen from her before. Alternatively, Emily made a resounding effect on Rebecca's group of friends by telling interesting stories about her job -- and the sometimes eccentric clientele that she had met through the years -- between clever little jokes and quips that had the entire table laughing. They were as enchanted by the little blonde as Rebecca was.

Rebecca was incapable of hiding how much she was wrapped around Emily's finger. She rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin up on the fist of her free hand -- the other still clinging to Emily without any sign of letting go tonight, tomorrow or possibly ever -- while staring at the girl with puppy dog eyes and a dopey smile. Rebecca's friends didn't miss this action. With a look between the three of them, they agreed to give the girls a little privacy through their perfected nonverbal eye language.  
So all at once, Celia got up to get the next round of drinks, Evie excused herself to go to the bathroom and Rawly went to say hello to one of his buddies at the bar, which left Emily and Rebecca alone in the booth. With that solitude, all of the barriers came down for one shining moment. Emily laid her head on Rebecca's shoulder and sighed. It wasn't a sound of contention or joy, but an exhausted sigh.  
"What's wrong?" Rebecca asked, noticing Emily's bit of stress instantly.  
"Nothing. I'm just tired."  
"We can go whenever you want. I think you've successfully proved my anxiety wrong by charming the pants off of my friends," Rebecca replied with a chuckle.  
"Not that kind of tired," Emily mumbled and shook her head.  
Rebecca unthinkingly placed a kiss on top of Emily's head and muttered. "What do you mean then?"  
"I'm just sick of putting on the face of perfection. Not that anyone's asking me to, mind you, it's just that...I just want to let go. Let loose and not think for once."  
The brunette slid a finger under Emily's chin to tip her head up and meet Rebecca's gaze. "You can let go. I know you think you have to hold on so tight to everything, but you don't."  
"But-" Emily began but Rebecca slipped the finger from the blonde's jaw to her lips in order to silence her.  
"Do you trust me?"  
Emily nodded.  
"Then let me worry about everything tonight. Just...let go. Trust me to control it all for one night. Okay?"  
Emily's big green eyes searched Rebecca's face. Over the grin the brunette wore and into her chocolate brown eyes, brimming with utter honesty. She knew she could trust Rebecca enough to be vulnerable just be looking over that face.  
"Okay," Emily mumbled around Rebecca's finger.  
"Good," Rebecca said and removed her digit from Emily's face finally. She took a sip of her near empty drink -- thankful that Celia was bound to bring her a refill any minute now -- then looked back to Emily with a widening grin. "Would you like to dance?"  
The band had just started an up-tempo number that had nearly the whole house up and moving. Emily gazed out at the many couples smiling and dancing with such carefree looks of glee that she was momentarily jealous. Then she looked at Rebecca again and realized she didn't need to be, since the brunette was offering her that same feeling. All she had to do was say yes.  
"I would love to," Emily said breathlessly.

Rebecca smiled wider and led Emily out of the booth and onto the floor. "I know you said you took a couple of lessons before, but I promise I won't get too complicated. All you need to do is follow my lead and have fun, okay?"  
"I think I can handle that," Emily said and put a hand on Rebecca's upper arm with the other going to the brunette's open hand.  
Before Emily could really comprehend what was going on, Rebecca had her out into the crowd of dancers and twirling her in circles at breakneck speed. The brunette had Emily spinning in one direction and then the other, with her own feet moving quickly to the time of the music. She was trying to grasp at the little things she had been taught years back and only remembered vague little snippets, but she hoped it would be enough to keep up with Rebecca who was clearly very well versed in the art of dance.  
Rebecca took both of the blonde's hands in hers and turned the girl's back to her before starting in on a backward shuffle. Emily was a little rusty -- that was easy to see -- but she was quick to catch on to what Rebecca was doing. She shifted her shoulders to match Rebecca's movement and kicked her feet up in almost perfect synchronicity to the brunette.  
This impressed Rebecca a great deal, but more than anything it made the connection she felt for Emily that much stronger. Chemistry in sex was one thing; there were plenty of people who did it well and enough combinations in the world to keep you happy if not completely satisfied. Dance was a whole other beast however. Chemistry in dance, with the right partner, was absolute magic -- and Rebecca was starting to see that the two of them did indeed carry a little bit of magic when they were together.  
Just at the right moment the blonde let go of one of Rebecca's hands and allowed the brunette to spin her around so they were facing each other again. The smile Emily wore was absolutely devastating. Rebecca wasn't sure she had ever seen the girl having such a good time. Of course, Rebecca couldn't remember when she had either -- especially doing something like this where she could actually showcase her abilities.

As good as it was though, Rebecca also knew she wouldn't be able to keep up such a high-speed routine much longer with her bum leg. There wasn't much that Rebecca could do about it though. As it was, she was a mixture of relieved and disappointed as the last note of the sang rang out.  
Being a true show boater however, Rebecca wasn't inclined to end this dance without a little flair first. How else were you supposed to end such a fantastic moment after all? The brunette let go of Emily completely -- save the one hand clasped in hers -- and spun the blonde around twice before taking a turn herself and sliding a hand on Emily's waist to dip her down.  
Then the completely unexpected happened.  
Emily's hand trailed down Rebecca's shoulder to fist into the girl's shirt before she pressed their lips together hard. Rebecca was so caught off guard by this that she nearly dropped the blonde in her arms. Somehow, she was able to pull herself together enough to stand them upright once more, but she wasn't keen to pull herself away from Emily's lips anytime soon.  
Rebecca's friends who had returned to the table witnessed the whole event -- from the beginning of the dance to the crescendo that the two were currently experiencing. Rawly grinned at the sight and thought to himself that they really made quite a cute couple, while Celia absolutely swooned and pressed her hands to her heart. Evie was the only one that wasn't fawning over the girls and instead looked amused.  
"It's about damn time. The sexual tension was starting to fucking choke me out over here," Evie chortled.  
Celia rolled her eyes and slapped the girl's arm. "Do you have to ruin everything nice?"  
"That's what I'm good at!" Evie exclaimed and threw her hands up with another laugh.

This whole interaction was completely lost on Rebecca and Emily. They had traveled off into their own little world with the kiss that they shared. To the blonde it was the final act of letting herself go to the whim of the night and to the brunette it was the perfect proof that they really did have magic together.  
When they pulled apart, there wasn't any awkward mutterings or weird vibes like in the past. They stared at each other and blinked a few times before Emily bit her lower lip with a smile and Rebecca chuckled softly. The brunette kissed the shorter girl's nose and held her hand out once more.  
"Do you want to get out of here?" she asked Emily softly. The returning nod couldn't come quick enough for Rebecca.  
In their rush to leave they both forget that social courtesy called for them to bid farewell to their party first, but this too was lost on Rebecca and Emily. The only thing they could even comprehend was being alone right now. Luckily, the three sets of eyes that watched the pair leave in a hurry could completely understand.  
***  
To Emily's surprise, Rebecca didn't drive back to the blonde's condo, but to her apartment. It was a place that Emily had never been to before and for the first time tonight, she was a little nervous. There was no real reason to be, since Rebecca had spent hours and hours in her own home, but for some reason this was another new line to cross.  
Rebecca threw her keys in a bowl near the door and told her guest to make herself at home while she took care of something. Emily nodded her understanding while her eyes raked over the details of Rebecca's apartment slowly. She was trying to take in everything in an attempt at further understanding for the girl that she so dearly cared for. The way a pile of magazines laid in a haphazard stack on the coffee table to the meticulous way her shoes lined up against the rack by the door, all the way to the lack of decorations lining the walls, save for a few pictures of Rebecca's friends -- or her real family as she called them.

Pausing in her inspection, Emily realized there was at least one other notable decoration on display besides the pictures of Rebecca's gang. The blonde had to get closer to be sure, but it was definitely what she originally thought it to be -- the drawing she had done for Rebecca just a few weeks prior. It was dressed in a beautiful black frame in the living room, clear for all to come and see. Emily could dare say that Rebecca had put it in a place where she could proudly point it out even.  
"Do you like it?" Rebecca asked from behind Emily, lightly whispering in the shorter girl's ear as she did.  
The blonde nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise, before she composed herself and nodded in response to the question asked. "It looks nice there."  
"I'm glad you agree. Although I would prefer the term beautiful," Rebecca kissed the spot just under Emily's ear. "Just like the artist that created it."  
"Sounds like I should be jealous of this artist," Emily giggled playfully.

"Oh you should. She's really something else," Rebecca replied with a breathy chuckle in the midst of laying little kisses all over Emily's sensitive neck. "She's clever and witty and completely wonderful in a way that I've never known anyone to be. And did I mention beautiful? 'Cause she is. Downright sexy really."  
Emily spun in Rebecca's arms and placed a soft kiss to the brunette's lips. "You're really too much Becca."  
"Mmm," Rebecca hummed with a delighted smile spun across her features. "That doesn't mean I plan on stopping anytime soon though."  
"Nor would I ever ask you to."  
"Ooh, that's another one," Rebecca's eyes twinkled as she continued on with her little game. "She's such an eloquent speaker. Girl's got a way with words that make my knees weak."  
Rebecca's cheesy smirk was matched by a similar grin from Emily -- along with an exaggerated eye roll as well -- and she couldn't help leaning down to kiss the smile right off the blonde's lips. It felt so right to kiss Emily. It felt so right to hold her and compliment her and tease her as well. Everything felt right in Rebecca's world when Emily was in it.  
"Will you dance with me Emmy?" Rebecca inquired against the blonde's warm lips.  
"But there's no music..." Emily replied in a hesitant tone  
Rebecca winked and held up a remote in her right hand. "Got it covered. All you have to do is say yes, my dear."  
"I have a feeling that's going to be a pattern in the coming years of our life," Emily sighed. For the first time in their relationship, she wasn't afraid of letting her guard down and admitting that she wanted Rebecca by her side for years to come. Forever even, if it was at all possible. "But yes. I would love another dance with you Becca."  
"Excellent," Rebecca murmured and took the blonde's lips in her own once more. She blindly turned the stereo on, tossed the remote behind her and scooped Emily up in her arms.  
The dance at the bar had been wild, passionate and fast paced, but this was everything that dance wasn't. It was slow and sensual with both of them pressed against the other tightly. Emily's head fit comfortably against Rebecca's shoulder and the Rebecca's chin rested atop Emily's hair snugly. The only similarity to the two dances was that Rebecca was leading them, only this time she did so while whispering the words of the song to the girl in her arms in a smoky alto voice. Declaring words of admiration and affirmation and absolute joy that she had found in the headstrong blonde -- her Emmy.  
"I don't know how I got so lucky with you," Rebecca muttered as the song ended. They didn't have an inclination to pull away from each other -- not yet at least -- and so they continued to sway together.

"I could ask the same thing," Emily replied.  
Rebecca pulled back just enough to set Emily with a look. "Copycat."  
Emily scrunched up her nose in that adorable way that made Rebecca melt before she shrugged her shoulders, "What are you gonna do about it?"  
"Keep on loving you," Rebecca replied simply and her pointed look softened into one of adoration for the little blonde.  
Emily's breath caught as her mind worked through those words for a painfully long moment. "That was...rather forward."  
"You think so?" Rebecca asked and a thoughtful expression crossed her features for a moment before she smiled once more. "I feel like it was nearly a decade overdue actually."  
"Well...I..." It wasn't often that Emily was rendered speechless, but Rebecca sure had the ability to do it to her more often than she liked -- especially when the brunette leaned forward and pressed their lips together again.

"I love you," Emily said breathlessly against Rebecca.  
"Yeah?" Rebecca pressed, wanting to know for sure it wasn't just the heat of the moment that spurred those words on.  
"Yeah," Emily assured her and laid kisses all along the brunette's jaw line. "I love you Becca."  
Rebecca groaned. "I love you Emmy."  
Emily pulled back from Rebecca's face and set the brunette with such a heated gaze that Rebecca feared she might just melt underneath of it. "Show me."  
With a growl in her throat, Rebecca picked the smaller girl up who wrapped her legs around the tall brunette on instinct. Rebecca walked her back to the bedroom and pinned the blonde against a wall in the room while kissing and nibbling along the girl's neck the whole time. Emily gasped and looked up at Rebecca from under her long lashes.  
"I think I like you being in control," Emily panted.  
"Oh, really?" Rebecca asked, not able to control the surprise creeping into her voice.  
"Mmhmm," Emily hummed and Rebecca ran her tongue down the blonde's neck while she spoke. "I kind of hate to admit it, but I always have. Especially how you could command a room with just your presence -- that's real power."  
"Did it get you wet?" Rebecca murmured against the column of Emily's neck.  
Emily moaned. "It is right now."

Rebecca's answer came out as a husky grumble from deep in her chest. "Let's see how true that statement is."  
With her hands still holding firm to Emily, Rebecca led the girl away from the wall and down onto her bed. This was going to be interesting to say the least, seeing how their sexual relations had never been the most conventional. Never once had they had they done anything in such a mundane place before. It was always desks and tables and office chairs -- which was admittedly kinky in one sense but the comfort level left much to be desired.  
Rebecca was excited for the change of pace even if Emily wasn't. This was why she was already stripping off her clothes before she got any farther with Emily. She didn't want this to be anything like how things were before.  
She wanted to be open. She wanted to be vulnerable. She wanted Emily to see her for every flaw and perfection alike.  
Thankfully, Emily was on the very same page. Shirts and bras and panties alike all went flying across the room as they silently stripped in fervor to be skin on skin with the other. Finally, they were left with nothing on and free to stare at each other -- Rebecca from above and Emily from below -- completely bare.  
Rebecca licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak. Emily couldn't wait to hear the words that were about to pour out from the brunette's mouth. She wanted that smoky voice to say anything, knowing it would only fuel her on to get wetter for the girl.  
"You have a tattoo?" was what Rebecca finally uttered.

Okay, anything but that. Emily frowned at the sudden change in direction. She was naked, in Rebecca's bed, nearly panting for the brunette's touch and that's what the girl focuses on? Was she really that easily distracted?  
"Yeah, I've had it for years," Emily said and reached up to bring Rebecca's lips back to hers.  
The brunette resisted the hold Emily had her in and instead leaned down to inspect the work. A branch stretched along the length of Emily's ribs on the right side. Some sort of flower was sporadically placed along the length of the branch and in two places, the flowers were falling off it. It was beautifully done to Rebecca's eye and the light color scheme was complimentary against Emily's pale skin.  
"What's this flower?" Rebecca asked in a soft voice.  
She hadn't forgotten what she was supposed to be doing, she was just momentarily distracted. There was nothing wrong with that in Rebecca's eyes either. She wanted to know everything about Emily and this was sort of an interesting part of that everything that she was completely in the dark about until this moment.  
Emily realized that she wasn't going to get the release she desired from Rebecca until she answered the girl's silly questions, so with a resigned sigh she did just that. "It's a magnolia, which is one of the oldest flowers in existence. Magnolia's are supposed to represent dignity, nobility and endurance so I figured it was kind of a nice reminder to myself when I got kicked down."

"Hmm," Rebecca hummed in her throat and the fingers that had been tracing the artwork was replaced with warm lips kissing along the petals of each of the flowers.  
Emily whimpered softly and closed her eyes at the light fluttering sensation each of Rebecca's kisses caused inside of her. When she had covered the entire tattoo Rebecca moved up past Emily's ribs to kiss along her chest and breasts. The girl took such care painting her admiration across Emily's skin that the blonde wondered why it had taken her so long to get to this point with Rebecca.

She knew the realistic answer, but the lust bubbling inside of her didn't really care about the semantics of it all -- it only cared about feeling Rebecca's touch everywhere. Those lips that were creating such a twisting burning sensation inside of Emily enveloped one of the blonde's pert nipples and suddenly all further thoughts inside of her head came to a screeching halt. Who really cared about all of that anyways? She was in Rebecca Knox's bed and she was going to enjoy every delicious moment that she had here.  
Rebecca was having none of the trouble that Emily was experiencing in the ways of pestering thoughts. Her mind was free and clear, only concerned with the body below her that was shifting and squirming with anticipation. The anticipation that she was creating so expertly.  
The brunette rolled her tongue along the nipple in her mouth and grasped at Emily's hips with both hands. Rebecca had come to straddle one of the blonde's thighs and she pulled Emily into her with each tug of the girl's hips as her mouth did its job. Likewise, Rebecca's knee was lodged against Emily's hot center and every pull on the blonde's hips drove her against the wet mess of Emily's pussy.

It had been a long time since the two of them were together intimately, but it had been even longer since Rebecca had the chance to touch and taste Emily in any sort of exploration at all. More often than not, their tongues and fingers went straight for the kill to make the process as quick and efficient as possible. With the weight of what they were doing mixed with sneaking around in such a public place, there was no real need for buildup since they were already hot enough from the taboo.  
This was not the case for tonight however.

Rebecca wanted to rev up the pretty blonde in her grasp as much as possible before she really dug into her. She wanted Emily crying out and panting for release from every little touch. Rebecca wanted to create anticipation, desire and need. In short, Rebecca wanted foreplay.  
The nipple in Rebecca's mouth came out with a pop as she released it and proceeded to trail sloppy, wet kisses across the valley of Emily's chest to get to the other side. There was no time wasted in taking its mate in her mouth and giving it the same treatment she had done a moment before to Emily's other nipple. Rebecca licked and sucked and nibbled all along the pebbled bud in her mouth, while she did that her fingers dug deeper into the flesh of the blonde's hips in order to drive them together harder and faster.  
"Yes," Emily uttered between her teeth, with the 's' sound coming out as a long, low hiss.  
Emily was no longer content to just lie there and take what Rebecca was dishing out anymore, so she raised her hands and let them come down on the brunette's backside with a resounding smack. Rebecca responded to this action by pulling on Emily's nipple with her teeth and sending a smoky eyed glance toward the blonde. Emily gasped at the sharp sensation and clung to the firm cheeks in her grasp.

Between the tongue working all over her chest and the sweet friction of Rebecca's knee against her core, Emily was beginning to see stars. She bucked her hips up and pulled Rebecca down simultaneously in a desperate attempt to bring their bodies even closer together on every pass. The way that Rebecca was grinding against her and leaving sticky trails all along her thigh made Emily wonder if the brunette wasn't riding on the precipice as well.

Emily was the first to throw her head back with a surprisingly loud cry at the arrival of her orgasm. Rebecca moaned against the girl's chest as the sound reverberated around the room and inside of her head. She ground herself down hard against Emily's tense body until they were both shuddering together.  
Rebecca brought her lips up to clash against Emily's with a fierce intensity. Both of them were still panting for air, but this didn't deter their desire to meet in a tangle of lips, teeth and tongues. The tension that had resided around the pair for months had finally come to a head between them tonight and the resulting passion was absolutely overwhelming.  
With her second wind caught, Emily made the first move to take things further with Rebecca. In a feat of surprising strength, she flipped the brunette onto her back effortlessly and propped herself over the other girl. Rebecca's brows rose in surprise, but she smirked at Emily regardless. This was bound to get interesting for her.  
Emily wasn't as concerned about foreplay with Rebecca tonight. She had the rest of their lives for slow and sensual, this was all about getting the gorgeous brunette to come again and again. So with a final kiss to Rebecca's bruised lips, Emily crawled down the bed to get comfortable between the brunette's thighs.  
From that very first touch against her super sensitive skin, Rebecca knew she was a goner to Emily's whims. Rebecca had come to the conclusion that she was pretty damn good with her own mouth if Emily's past responses were anything to go by, but this display made her look like an absolute amateur. Emily knew how to flick and swirl her tongue against Rebecca in a way that was unearthly. In no time at all, Rebecca found herself incapable of forming real words to let Emily know how good everything felt.  
"Tha...oh God. Em-Em-Em, uh. Fu-sh-fuck!" she babbled.

Emily couldn't stop grinning against Rebecca's hot center at the nonsense the brunette was sputtering. She knew she was doing a good job when her lover was reduced to an incoherent mess. For some reason, this was sexier to Emily than any length of dirty talk that a girl could hold up. Hearing filthy words uttered from her lover's mouth -- especially if it was Rebecca mouth -- was always stimulating of course, but this bare submission to a baser desire was so much better.  
The only thing better than that to Emily's ears was the low moan that came out of Rebecca at her release. Emily watched with narrowed eyes as Rebecca turned her face into the pillow and bit down hard. Little muffled sounds continued to escape past Rebecca's lips for another minute or so while Emily left fluttering kisses along the tender skin of her girl.  
Rebecca bounced back with a vengeance this time. She felt like all the energy in the world was surging through her limbs after that come and Emily was going to be the recipient of it. With a slow and deliberate lick across her lips, she stared down her beautiful blonde lover and motioned with one finger for her.  
"Come here," Rebecca said in a husky sexed up voice.

A cheeky smile stretched across Emily's face as she crawled back up the length of Rebecca's body. She intended to get another kiss from Rebecca, to have the brunette taste the juices still on her lips, but her lover had a different plan. Rebecca seized Emily around the middle and guided the blonde to sit across her stomach, then bent her knees and planted her feet on the bed so Emily could rest against her thighs.  
Emily bit her lip and ran a hand down Rebecca's body -- that athlete's body that was all hard muscles and soft curves. Just feeling the warm skin flex underneath her fingertips had Emily getting even wetter for Rebecca all over again. Another moan left Rebecca's mouth when she felt the heat coming from Emily's center resting against her abdomen.  
"I can't get enough of you," Rebecca admitted and let her fingers wander all over Emily's body.  
Emily hummed and met Rebecca's eyes with a wicked glint. "Neither can I."  
Rebecca's fingers slid into Emily's silky folds and she smirked back at the blonde before driving one finger up inside of her. "As long as I'm not the only one addicted."  
Emily gasped and bucked against Rebecca's sudden entrance inside of her. How was it that Rebecca made her feel so hot, so quickly? Every new sensation Rebecca brought out of Emily had her suspended in air and just around the corner, there always seemed to be another waiting to get her higher and higher.  
"More, more, more," Emily cried out.

Rebecca didn't even break her perfect rhythm to meet Emily's demand. On her out-stroke she brought another finger up to meet the first and on the in-stroke they both filled up the blonde. Rebecca was rewarded with yet another throaty moan from the blonde and she was sure that her ego couldn't have gotten much bigger by the way Emily was writhing for her.  
What Rebecca wasn't yet aware of was that Emily -- the real Emily that she was still learning about -- wasn't an absentminded lover by any means. She couldn't just sit idly by when there was something her body could be doing to return the favor of pleasure that she was receiving. So while the brunette was rocking her fingers in and out of the blonde, Emily was reaching back to find Rebecca's clit with her searching digits.  
Emily was aware of when she found success by the groan that came out of Rebecca, followed by the unbelieving eyes that met hers a moment later. She knew that the message behind that stare was something to the effect of 'you couldn't just enjoy this?' but Emily wasn't too concerned. She knew that she probably had one more good come left in her before she would be spent -- at least for a little bit -- and she wanted to make sure that Rebecca could have that same satisfaction.  
"I want you to come with me," Emily explained in a panting breath.

Rebecca grunted. "I thought we already did something like that."  
"Again then," Emily said impatiently and bucked up to meet every one of Rebecca's thrusts mid-stroke.  
Rebecca wasn't about to argue the point with Emily. She was just doing her best to hold off her orgasm until she could get the blonde there. Unfortunately for her, Emily was so fucking good that Rebecca was having a hard time even concentrating on what she was supposed to be doing. Couldn't Emily see that Rebecca was still somewhat new to this and needed all the focus she could get?  
The feeling of Emily clenching around her fingers was the most relieving sensation Rebecca had felt all night. It meant that she could finally stop tensing and let the orgasm wash over her that had been inching closer and closer at every moment. The world around the pair seemed to stop spinning as they shook through their pleasure together, their eyes locked on the other in what might have been the most intimate moment of their entire lives.

Rebecca slipped out of Emily finally and the blonde tumbled off onto the bed. She laid her head on Rebecca's shoulder and the brunette laid a sweet kiss to Emily's messy bed head. They shared a content sigh in that moment of rest and there was no doubt in either mind that what had just transpired was a long time in the making.  
"That was nice," Emily muttered.  
Rebecca hummed. "That was good."  
"That was great," Emily shot back.  
"That was fantastic." Rebecca set her lover with a look. "I can do this all night if you want to try me."  
Emily's brow raised in challenge. "That was wonderful."  
Rebecca smirked. "That was incredible."  
Emily considered for a moment, a finger pressed against her lips in thought. "That was orgasmic."  
"Damn. Can't beat that one," Rebecca muttered under her breath.  
Emily snuggled closer to Rebecca, smug in her victory. Or rather, her most recent victory. She was sure that what they had just accomplished was a victory in itself -- or rather many victories.

The silence that settled between them after that was perfect and content. They didn't need to have any inane chatter or useless declarations in this moment. It was perfect.  
Then Rebecca ruined it all by looking down at their feet and laughing softly. Emily quirked a brow and set her with an interested look, waiting for her lover to explain just what was so funny. The brunette held up one finger and got herself under control as the giggles tapered off.  
"We never took our socks off."  
Emily shrugged. "I never take my socks off in bed. My feet get cold otherwise and then I can't sleep. Bad circulation and all."  
Rebecca slid her feet against Emily's and giggled again. "You're kind of adorable, did you know that?"  
"I've been told," Emily replied with a cheeky grin.  
"Yeah and I'm telling you again," Rebecca chuckled and sprung on top of Emily once more before she laid a trail of kisses down the girl's neck, to her chest and down her abdomen.

"You're not starting this again are you?" Emily asked with disbelief coloring her voice. How in the hell did Rebecca have so much energy?  
Rebecca shrugged. "What are you gonna do about it if I am?"  
Emily slid her hands against Rebecca's face to cup the girl's cheeks. She urged the brunette to look at her and was met with a dazzling smile. Emily grinned at Rebecca and pulled her back up to meet her lips softly, she was more than happy to let Rebecca do whatever she pleased, but this kiss had to happen first.  
"Keep on loving you," Emily finally answered as she let go of Rebecca.  
"And that's exactly what I'm trying to do," Rebecca winked at her lover and nipped at her lower lip.  
Emily let out a mock sigh as if this was an exhausting prospect and waved a hand at the brunette. "Carry on then."  
+  
Rebecca dove back down the path that she had previously cut moments before, murmuring against Emily's skin as she did. "You don't have to tell me twice."


	9. Epilogue

5 Years Later

Life doesn't always go as one plans -- and for Emily Frazier and Rebecca Knox, truer words had never been spoken.  
If someone were to tell them at any point of their lives before the fateful day that Rebecca walked into the Zendex Media building that they would end up crazy in love and going on five years strong, that person would have been laughed off. Yet despite everything that they had gone through together, that was the truth of their life. Through all of the torture and treachery that the girls shared, they had never been happier than they were together.  
As the years passed them by things only seemed to get better for the pair. They found that separately they were strong, but together they were unstoppable. It was possible that they could rule the world together. Anyone that was lucky -- or unlucky -- enough to cross their path was quite aware of this fact.  
Emily found more and more success with her creative approach to each project her company was given and eventually she found herself working as Brant Chamberlain's second in command with the prospect of running the whole damn show one day. For once in her life however, her ambition was content to stay exactly where she was with the company. She wasn't power hungry and impatient to take the reins over from the old man who had become a wonderful mentor to her anymore. Emily was perfectly all right just trying to showcase Zendex as a force to be reckoned with, without all the worries and pressures that would be over her head the day she did take over that coveted CEO position.  
Rebecca found her own success when she graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport's science and went after the dream that Emily had helped shape inside of her -- to become a cheer coach. There were plenty of individual establishments that she could have worked for, but for some reason she was more inclined to be back in a high school program instead. It was where her career ended and she hoped that perhaps she could help these girls go farther than she ever had. So with that thought in mind, Rebecca applied to all of the high schools in the region to see what would come of it.  
In all the ironic humor that had befallen the pair, Rebecca found her first coaching opportunity in the same place that she had started -- Branson High. Emily found this much more amusing than her counterpart did, but after a little coaxing, she made Rebecca see the golden opportunity that was really in front of her. This was the brunette's chance to be different from the establishment that had created her -- a new chance to mold young minds in a more productive manner for society so to speak.  
"Plus," Emily had whispered into her girlfriend's ear, which elicited a pronounced shiver down Rebecca's back. "You'll get to wear your home colors again and as you know I'm quite fond of how you look in purple."  
"Mmm. Go Bulldogs," Rebecca husked.  
"Indeed," Emily nodded in agreement. "Do you think it would be too hard to procure a cheerleading uniform? I'm sure there's a few fantasies I could come up with involving you and those miniskirts..."  
Rebecca turned and quirked a brow. "Would you wear your sexy librarian glasses?"  
Emily bit her lip and threw Rebecca a mysterious glance. "We'll see."  
That was all the convincing that Rebecca needed. She took the job with a feeling of purpose and new beginnings alike, but more than anything she would be back on the field that was once her home and that spurred such an adrenaline rush in her that she wasn't sure if she would ever come back down. To make matters even better, Rebecca was sure that she could obtain a cheerleading uniform -- as the former head cheerleader and now the coach as well, she was positive that some strings could be pulled somewhere -- for whatever dirty fantasy Emily could concoct.  
That would arguable be the best part of her new job.  
Rebecca had been working at Branson for about a year when the ten-year reunion of their graduating class rolled around. Emily was content to skip this one just as she had the last. However, Rebecca reminded the blonde that as a Branson employee it would be good for her image to be there and celebrate her own time at the high school -- however fucked up it might have been. The brunette found herself in Evie's position five years prior as she tried to convince her girlfriend -- lover, best friend, life partner -- that it was a good idea to attend. The irony was not lost on Rebecca whatsoever.  
"Think about it this way, the only reason you didn't go last time is trying to convince you to go this time," Rebecca pressed. "Besides, you're a big fucking deal compared to most of those losers."  
Emily couldn't argue either point that Rebecca was making, but she still encouraged the brunette to keep going. Every now and again, a nice ego boost did her wonders. "How so?"  
"Well," Rebecca began, knowing exactly what Emily was trying to do just by the devilish gleam in the girl's eyes. "You have a kick ass job where you're respected and admired. You've grown out of your high school persona of the mousey girl everyone knew you as and transformed into a gorgeous woman. Not to mention you'll have the hottest piece of eye candy imaginable on your arm when you strut your sexy stuff in there."  
"You're such a narcissist," Emily muttered and rolled her eyes.  
"And you're an egomaniac," Rebecca scoffed. "We're perfect for each other."  
"That's hard logic to dispute," Emily said and chewed on the inside of her cheek as she mulled over Rebecca's words. "We don't have to stay the entire time do we?"  
"No. Just let me make an appearance, you can rub your accomplishments in the faces of anyone that defies you and then we come home and make love all night long."  
"I'm starting to like this plan," Emily grinned and straddled Rebecca's lap. "Let's get a head start on that last part."  
Rebecca's plan for their reunion went just as she expected it to.  
Their peers were more than a little surprised when Rebecca Knox and Emily Frazier showed up to the event together. That surprise turned into all out shock when they realized that the two were literally together. It took all the practiced composure that Rebecca could muster not to laugh hysterically at the faces around her staring blankly when she unthinkingly kissed Emily's lips in front of God and everyone. She wasn't about to censor herself around these morons after all.  
Unlike the last reunion Rebecca went to, there was no effect of the social time machine on her. She didn't act like the queen bitch, she wasn't walking around with her hands on her hips and there were no superior thoughts that crossed her mind. The brunette was simply the down to earth adult and attentive girlfriend that she was any other day. This may have been the biggest surprise to the people scattered around the gym.  
When the two got their fill of mingling with people that they really had nothing in common with anymore, they ditched the event and finally got out the hysterics that they had both been holding onto for the better part of an hour. There was a consistent string of tiny laughs that passed between them on the cab ride home -- they both had consumed far too much of the punch that Jordan Simmons had spiked to drive themselves -- which had the cabbie looking back in curiosity every few minutes. When they finally got home, there was no control over it any longer however.  
"Oh my God, did you see Ashley Monroe's face? It looked like she stopped breathing there for a second!" Emily managed to get out between relentless giggles.  
Rebecca nodded, laughing just as hard. "And Clark Jessup couldn't stop doing that eye twitch thing! Shit, it's like they've never seen a couple of hot women together or something."  
"I know! Like, news flash, the internet has been around for quite some time and if you haven't heard, porn is free."  
"Well, I wasn't about to give them that kind of show," Rebecca said with a wag of her finger in Emily's direction.  
The blonde wrapped her arms around Rebecca's middle and pressed her lips against the brunette's ear. "Can I have that kind of show?"  
"I did promise you that we would make love all night once we left that train wreck didn't I?"  
"You did," Emily purred.  
The fairy tale ending that both girls had longed for was finally becoming a reality with the other. Every little failure and unsupportive person in their lives became a distant memory with every day they spent together and the horrible memories were reshaped into a more pleasant present and hopeful future. Even the bad days between them weren't as bad as they could be with the knowledge that they had lived through so much worse -- both together and apart -- and nothing could be as bad as it once was.  
So it was that Emily and Rebecca's life consisted of three truths as the years flashed by. They lived. They loved. They danced.  
As often as they could, the two danced together to remember the night that both of their walls finally collapsed and something new emerged from the ashes. Sometimes it was out in public in the presence of the prying eyes of the world, but more often than not it wasn't. Both Emily and Rebecca preferred to dance together in the comfort of their own home where they could keep those special intimate moments all to themselves.  
It wasn't uncommon at all for them to find themselves pressed together, cheek to cheek, as they were this night. There wasn't any need for slick moves or fancy tricks on nights like these. The only thing the pair required was some good music, a little room and each other.  
Usually they danced without uttering a word. Sometimes Rebecca would hum along to the song or sing the words quietly, but it was silently agreed that there was a magic aura that surrounded them when they let their bodies do all the talking. So when Emily broke that spell on this particular night, it was a little odd.  
Even odder were the words that she spoke to her lover.  
"It's crazy to think of everything we've been through together. All the fighting and backstabbing that got us to this point," Emily murmured against Rebecca's neck as they gently swayed to the quiet jazz track in the background.  
"Mmm," Rebecca hummed into Emily's hair and kissed the top of the blonde's head. "It would make an excellent novel."  
"It would, wouldn't it?" Emily nodded in agreement and chuckled quietly. "Would you ever change the way it happened? I mean, if you could go back and do it all again?"  
Rebecca pulled back just enough to look into Emily's bright green eyes, staring deeply for a few moments. Emily gazed back at Rebecca with a questioning look, before quirking an eyebrow at her silent girlfriend. This broke Rebecca finally. She leaned down without any pretense and met Emily's lips in a sweet and gentle embrace, all the while continuing to move along to the beat of the music.  
"No," Rebecca finally answered. "I wouldn't change a thing."  
"Nothing? Not high school or working under me or all the bullshit or, or anything?" Emily seemed baffled by this answer.  
"Nope. Not a thing," Rebecca shook her head and scrunched her nose in a way that Emily found absolutely adorable. "If it happened any other way I might not feel as strongly as I do now."  
"Hmm."  
"Now I have a question for you," Rebecca began and twirled Emily around, eliciting giggles from the blonde. "Did you ever wonder if you falling for me was a testament to a deeply fucked up part of your psyche that felt like it was undeserving of love, so you just took what you could get?"  
Emily considered the brunette that held her and smiled. "More than a few times. But I got over it."  
Rebecca chuckled, "Good to know."  
Rebecca slid her arm across Emily's lower back and dipped her down as the song shimmered to a close and once again met those perfect pink lips, this time in a much more passionate embrace. Emily giggled against their kiss as Rebecca pulled her upright once more All the while, Rebecca refused to pull her mouth away for even a moment. Their foreheads pressed together as the kiss finally tapered off and Emily moved her nose back and forth against Rebecca's in a slow and sensual manner.  
"You're such a fucking romantic. Did you know that?" Emily asked.  
"Yeah," Rebecca grinned and pressed Emily tighter against her body as the next song began. "But that's why you love me."  
"Yeah, that's why I love you," Emily agreed. She chewed on her lip and eyed the beautiful woman that held her before she spoke again. "Do you think we'll spend the rest of our lives together?"  
Rebecca quirked a brow. "What brought this on?"  
"Just thinking I guess," Emily mumbled.  
"Well I haven't run off yet," Rebecca said and shrugged her shoulders. "So there's that."  
"You? I haven't run off either," Emily scoffed.  
"Yeah, but since you brought up our potential future I felt the right to point out how I'm still here for said future to even happen."  
Emily grumbled under her breath. "Good point."  
Rebecca paused and looked down at Emily, who had a defined scowl line between her eyebrows matched with a pouting lip, reminding the brunette briefly of a petulant child. "Emmy, I think I'll spend all my days hopelessly in love with you. So by that logic -- and if you continue to have me, of course -- we'll spend the rest of our lives together." 1

 

Emily grinned from ear to ear, having finally heard what she needed from her lover. "I'm glad you could clear that up for me."  
Emily leaned into Rebecca once more, placing her head on the brunette's chest and heaved a content sigh. Rebecca, however, was left a little baffled by their conversation. First Emily had asked about changing their past and now it was all about sticking around for the future. Seriously, what had gotten into that crazy blonde head?  
Long after the two had taken their slow dance to a more intimate variety in the bedroom, Rebecca was still pondering over the odd conversation that they had shared. Emily was fast asleep on her side, legs and arms tucked up into her chest to form a little ball with her head resting on Rebecca's upturned stomach. The brunette idly played with the wild blonde locks splayed out across her skin and replayed the night in her head over and over -- trying to figure out what Emily was really saying.  
Was it possible that her girlfriend was trying to nudge her into taking the next step of commitment? That was a terrifying prospect if Rebecca did say so herself. Living together and sharing space -- especially for the extent that the two had managed successfully -- was one thing but...marriage?  
Rebecca shuddered at the concept.  
Once the initial shock wore off, Rebecca began to consider the prospect logically and realized that nothing would really change. Sure, there would be the dress and the ring and the big day -- and ugh, the proposal of course -- but beyond that, their relationship would stay the same. They would still live together, they would still be stuck doing mundane chores together and they would still argue over who got control of date night. The only difference would be the name that they would share.  
Admittedly, Rebecca had thought about the prospect of Emily's name attached to her own in the past, but it was nothing more than a fleeting fancy. Maybe now it would be worth thinking of a little harder though. Emily Knox did sound good to her ears after all -- and if Emily expected Rebecca to be the one to propose then she would be taking the brunette's name. Although if Rebecca was being honest -- and it would take wild horses to drag this truth out of her -- she rather liked the sound of Rebecca Frazier as well.  
With her hands still combing through the soft flaxen hair of her girlfriend, Rebecca considered what the next step should be. There would have to be a ring of course -- and she would have to hide that big purchase from Emily somehow -- but that was easy enough in comparison to the other big expectation from her. As in, how in the hell was Rebecca supposed to propose to Emily?  
That was an endeavor she had never once considered having to complete in her life. Why would she? Rebecca was convinced there would be a man that would come to take care of that problem so she would never have to think about getting on one knee. Never mind that the prospect of that happening now brought a very unwanted shiver down the brunette's spine at the mere thought.  
None of those superfluous musings were helping her though. What was important now was coming up with something that would be special to Emily despite the nervous, awkward, scared energy pouring from Rebecca at the thought of an impending proposal of any kind. Was she supposed to do something low key and intimate like Emily seemed to enjoy in most aspects of their relationship or a more grand and elaborate gesture to mark the occasion? Emily had never been one to enjoy huge displays though -- especially when Rebecca was the perpetrator behind them -- so that last idea was a bit moot.  
Then again, maybe Rebecca could string together something from the best of both worlds. So she schemed and planned in a way that was unheard of since her adolescent days. The only difference was that her mastermind plots would be used in the name of good for once and not unrelenting evil.  
Two weeks after Rebecca initially came up with the idea to give Emily what she wanted -- or at least what she deducted that Emily wanted -- the brunette set things into motion. Emily received a request to come out to the football field of their old high school by letter, which had been brought to her this morning in the office. The blonde noted the beautiful calligraphy script of the letter especially. Something about a formal invitation felt really special and fancy to Rebecca, so she slipped a twenty to one of the young intern's in order to get the letter hand delivered to Emily for the ultimate effect of this stage of the plan.  
Emily, the ever punctual -- as Rebecca sarcastically called her, usually when that same punctuality was to the brunette's disfavor -- arrived on the field exactly when Rebecca expected her to. Which was to say that she was fifteen minutes early, but Rebecca had planned to set things in motion in anticipation of Emily's projected arrival time in comparison to when she was supposed to show up. No one could say that Rebecca didn't know her girlfriends' quirks and idiosyncrasies, that was for sure.  
As soon as that blonde head of hair that Rebecca loved so much strolled onto the field, the brunette's Varsity squad began a very special cheer that they had volunteered to help their coach with.  
"Gimme an E!" The head cheerleader began.  
The rest of the squad then answered, "E!"  
Then all together, they shouted. "Because she is exciting!"  
"Gimme an M!"  
"M!"  
"The girl is mesmerizing!"  
"Gimme an M!"  
"M!"  
"Magnificent to view!"  
"Gimme a Y!"  
"Y!"  
"'Cause no one's quite like you!"  
The cheer repeated as Emily walked closer to Rebecca and her girls, while piecing together what they were saying and who they were saying it about. It was like that terrible Homecoming game cheer in reverse. Ironically, the creator of the horrible cheer said on that chilly autumn day was the same one directing the girl's through their routine with vigor.  
Rebecca turned from her squad to look at Emily and smiled, then held up one finger indicating she would only need a moment. "Perfect girls, absolutely perfect!" she shouted to the squad of teenagers before motioning toward Emily. "And I'm sure the target audience was pleased with all the effort and work you put into it."  
Emily nodded vigorously to show her support of the young athletes who had turned to her with curiosity in their eyes. The girl's high fived each other and squealed in delight of their success. Let it never be said that Rebecca was turning these girls into anything other than happy, peppy teenagers -- as opposed to soulless and manipulative automatons.  
Rebecca turned from Emily once more and clapped loudly. "Okay, hit the showers. You did an incredible job today!"  
The cheerleaders jogged off the field at their coach's command. Some of them stopped to smile at Emily while others patted Rebecca's arm or leaned in to whisper to their coach secretly. When the two were alone again, Rebecca directed Emily to the side of the field and placed her very specifically in front of the west bleachers.  
"What's going-" Emily began but Rebecca held a hand up to silence her.  
"Just stay right there and wait," Rebecca said before putting a few feet of distance between them so Rebecca was technically on the field and Emily was still on the sidelines. "You were standing right there and I was here the last day we saw each other senior year. I was trying my hardest not to think about you or how much I truly cared about you, all I wanted to do was hurt you so bad that I would never have to think about all of those feelings ever again."  
Emily watched as Rebecca began to shift anxiously. The brunette obviously had something she wanted to get out, but fuck, was this a hell of a lead on to whatever Rebecca was trying to say. Still, Emily waited patiently for her girlfriend to get to the point.  
"And I did. I hurt you that day more than I ever had before. Maybe even more than all those other times combined. That was something I expected. What I didn't expect was what was going to happen to me," Rebecca sighed and walked a little closer to Emily. "I died a little that day. Whether it was my childhood or my innocence or losing you, I'll never know. But I died inside the day you stopped existing to me."  
Rebecca took a huge breath in and then exhaled it all at once. Suddenly she looked very nervous. Emily was so confused about the whole purpose of this -- the cheerleaders and Rebecca's admittance and even being here on the old Branson field -- but she was equally intrigued as well.  
"What I'm trying to say in a very roundabout way is this; I've brought you here, to this exact spot where I died as a teenage girl in order to ask you a very important question as the woman you brought back to life."  
Rebecca bent at the knee and Emily drew in a sharp breath before her hands flew up to her mouth. The blonde couldn't believe this was happening at all, there was just no way that Rebecca could actually be preparing to ask her such a thing. However, Emily was forced to believe this was happening when Rebecca pulled a little blue box from her pocket and held it up in front of her.  
Emily's eyes went wide and she stuttered out something before Rebecca could even have the chance to pop the question. "This is...this is a little unexpected."  
Rebecca grinned. "You didn't think I would go through with it after all those hints you dropped?"  
"What hints? What are you talking about?" Emily's brows pulled together in confusion.  
"Wait...you mean that...you didn't?" Rebecca was having trouble grasping the weight of the situation coming down on her suddenly. "You weren't expecting me to propose to you?"  
"Should I have?"  
"Well you asked me all that stuff about being together for the rest of our lives and, and, and ugh!"  
Rebecca couldn't even formulate a sentence anymore. She was feeling embarrassed and ridiculous waving around a ring to a girl that hadn't even been hoping for a proposal -- and from the way she was acting, didn't want one either. The brunette stood from her kneeling position and extended to her full height, which towered over the smirking blonde.  
"Just...forget it then," Rebecca mumbled and went to pocket the ring once more. Hopefully she could return it at full price if she explained this horrible situation to the jeweler.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Emily cried. "Do I even get the chance to answer?"  
Rebecca stared at the girl, feeling more and more baffled with each passing second between them. "I didn't think you wanted to."  
"No, I haven't had the chance to," Emily corrected her girlfriend with a sharp poke to Rebecca's chest with her finger. "I can't help that you caught me by surprise here. I don't know what crazy thoughts have been going on in your head lately, but for me this is coming from far left field."  
Rebecca shuffled awkwardly and thought about how badly this was going. Nothing was happening to the plan at this point. Was her scheming really that rusty? Had she really read all the wrong signs and then pulled off the plan so unspectacularly? Fuck.  
"Regardless of all that though," Emily said loud enough to garner Rebecca's attention back to her. "If you're still willing to ask me the question, I'm willing to give you an answer."  
Rebecca searched the blonde's face and chewed on the inside of her cheek. There was a moment of hesitation in the brunette where she wondered if Emily was actually preparing to say no to her face. That wouldn't make any sense though. Why would Emily set her up for such failure when she had been so adamant on knowing Rebecca was willing to stand by her for the long run just a few weeks earlier?  
With another deep breath in and out, Rebecca took Emily's hands in hers and finally sprung the question. "Emily Frazier, will you marry me?"  
Emily considered Rebecca like she was weighing her options out -- just to make the brunette squirm a bit more -- and then shrugged indifferently. "I guess you're the best I'm gonna get, so, yes."  
Rebecca chuckled at the blonde's answer -- it was so Emily after all -- and lifted the girl's hand to slip the diamond ring upon it. Something about the sight of that ring on Emily's finger made Rebecca's chest tighten. It wasn't in an anxious way, but rather an 'almost makes you want to cry because the universe finally seems to makes sense and it's all very overwhelming' kind of way.  
"Wow," Rebecca said simply, her eyes still trained on the ring.  
Emily's gaze was set there too and she had to admit that she rather liked the weight that the diamond brought. "Wow indeed."  
Rebecca couldn't help the words that tumbled out of her mouth upon realizing that she had just proposed and Emily actually said yes. "I can't wait until you're Mrs. Emily Knox."  
The blonde's brows rose at this statement and she met the face of her goofy grinned girlfriend (fiance?) who only had her attention in one place right now -- and it wasn't Emily's pointed gaze. "Really now? Who's to say that you won't take my name? Or that we'll hyphenate?"  
The challenge of Emily's voice wasn't lost on Rebecca -- nor was the look she was met with when she finally met the blonde's big green eyes -- but even her girlfriend's silly questions couldn't bring her down right now. "Hyphenating is stupid. It's like there's no dedication from either party so they come up with a lame compromise so no one feels like a loser. Not to mention it usually comes off as super pretentious," Rebecca shrugged. "And since I proposed I believe it's only fair that you should take my last name. I did all the hard work after all."  
Emily pursed her lips at Rebecca's sound logic. She didn't want to agree with the brunette but those were valid points on both fronts. She actually didn't want to hyphenate -- the sound of it really was pretentious to Emily's ears -- and admittedly, Rebecca's surname would sound good attached to her. More than that though, she would truly be Rebecca's wife by taking her name and that thought alone was enough to get her blushing a deep shade of pink.  
"Fine," Emily agreed. "But I'm naming our first child."  
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," Rebecca chuckled and offered Emily her hand.  
The blonde laced their fingers together, not intending to drop the conversation yet. "I think it's only fair."  
"Look Emmy, fair or not, I want to get through one heart attack inducing event before I start thinking about another," Rebecca said calmly. "Can't we be content with planning a wedding and letting God and everyone know that you finally put the ball and chain on me before we discuss bringing a tiny screaming, crying, pooping thing into this world?"  
"As long as you agree to give me utter control in the ways of names with no vetoes I can be," Emily remarked with a playful gleam in her eye.  
Rebecca sighed. "I'll think about it."  
"Fair enough," Emily said and laid her head against Rebecca's arm. "After all, we dohave a lifetime to argue about it."  
+  
"Yeah," Rebecca replied dreamily at the thought of many more years of arguing, misunderstanding and all together loving Emily. "We really do."

The End


End file.
